Frequently Asked Questions
What You Need to Know
Straightforward answers to the questions people ask most before starting therapy with Judy Wang, LCPC, CPC. If you do not find what you are looking for here, the free 20-minute consultation is the right next step.
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How Therapy Works
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a structured, research-supported therapy that helps your brain fully process traumatic or distressing experiences that got stuck. During EMDR, guided bilateral stimulation, often side-to-side eye movements or tapping, helps your brain revisit and reprocess those memories so they feel like something that happened in the past rather than something that is still happening now. EMDR is highly effective for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and high-functioning burnout. I am an EMDRIA Certified Therapist, meaning I have met the advanced training and supervised hours requirements set by the EMDR International Association.
ERP stands for Exposure and Response Prevention. It is the clinical gold standard for treating OCD and is backed by decades of research. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses on understanding why an intrusive thought is there, ERP works by gradually exposing you to the triggers that set off your OCD cycle without performing the compulsions that usually follow. Over time, this retrains your brain’s alarm system and breaks the loop of doubt, anxiety, and ritual that OCD depends on. It is an active, structured approach that produces real, measurable results.
Written Exposure Therapy is a structured, evidence-based treatment for PTSD that uses guided writing exercises to help you process traumatic memories in a safe and organized way. It was developed through decades of trauma research and typically takes only five sessions to complete. Many clients appreciate it because it follows a clear, predictable structure, does not require verbally reliving every detail of a traumatic experience, and produces meaningful results in a short timeframe. it is one of the few trauma treatments that is both brief and well-researched.
Yes. Research consistently shows that evidence-based treatments including EMDR, ERP, and Written Exposure Therapy are equally effective when delivered through a secure telehealth platform. For many clients, virtual therapy is actually easier to engage with consistently because it removes time, waiting rooms, and the logistical friction that causes people to cancel or delay care, Consistency matters more for outcomes than the format.
In practice, the terms are often used interchangeably. Counseling tends to refer to shorter-term, goal-focused support while therapy often implies deeper work on patterns, trauma, or longer-standing mental health concerns. At Healing Hearts Counseling, I provide both. The treatment is shaped by what you actually need, not by a label.
No. Healing Hearts Counseling serves adults only, meaning clients 18 and older. I do not provide couples therapy or family therapy. All services are individual adult therapy and counseling.
At this time, all sessions are conducted in English.
Getting Started
It is a straightforward conversation, not a sales call. You will have a chance to share what you are dealing with in broad strokes, ask questions about my approach, and get a honest read on whether what I offer is the right fit for your situation. I will tell you directly if I think a different therapist or a different approach would serve you better. If we are a good fit, we will talk next steps and scheduling.
The first session is a 55-minute diagnostic evaluation. It is a structured intake where I learn about your history, what is bringing you to therapy now, what you have tried before, and what you ar hoping to get out of our work together. It is also a chance for you to get a feel for how I work. By the end, we will have a clearer sense of a direction and approach that makes sense for your goals.
It depends on what you are working on, how long it has been going on, and which treatment approach we use. ERP for OCD typically runs 12-20 sessions. Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD is 5 sessions. EMDR for trauma varies more widely, with some clients seeing significant shifts in a handful of sessions and others working longer on more complex histories. EMDR Intensives compress this timeline significantly. I do not keep clients in therapy longer than is useful, and we review progress regularly so you are never in the dark about where things stand.
Bring it up. A good therapist should be able to have that conversation directly. If the approach is not working, we adjust. If I am genuinely not the right fit for what you need, I would rather tell you that honestly and help you find someone who is rather than keep you in a therapeutic relationship that is not serving you. Your progress matters more than my caseload.
Yes, with a few legally mandated exceptions. Confidentially can only be broken if there is an imminent risk of harm to yourself or someone else, if there is reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect of a minor or vulnerable adult, or if a court orders disclosure. Outside of those situations, what you share in sessions stays between us. This is covered in detail in the informed consent you will review before your first session.
Scheduling and Logistics
The first session is 55 minutes and serves as a diagnostic evaluation and intake. Ongoing individual therapy sessions run 45 to 55 minutes depending on the service. EMDR intensive sessions are half-day blocks of approximately 3 hours each. Full-day intensive formats are available at the therapist’s discretion for appropriate cases.
A minimum of 48 hours’ notice is required to cancel or reschedule any appointment. Monday appointments much be cancelled by noon the preceding Friday. Cancellations made with less than 48 hours’ notice are subject to the full late cancellation fee of $200. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, the appointment is considered a no-show and the $200 no-show fee applies. Sessions cannot be billed to insurance for late cancellations or no-shows.
If you arrive less than 15 minutes late, we will use the remaining session time. If you are more than 15 minutes late, the session is considered a no-show and the $200 fee applies. If you know you are running behind, reach out ahead of time. Life happens and communication goes a long way.
All sessions are conducted through Doxy.me, a secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform. You do not need to download anything because Doxy runs directly in your browser. You will receive a link before your first session that takes your straight to a private virtual waiting room. A stable internet connection and a private, quiet space are the main things you will need.
Log back into Doxy.me and we will pick up where we left off. If we cannot reconnect within a few minutes, I will call you at the phone number you provided and we will finish the session by phone, For clients in rural areas with less reliable connectivity, we can set up a backup plan together before your first session.
Appointment availability varies. Weekend slots are available for EMDR Intensives. For current availability and scheduling, the best step is to request a free consultation and we can find a time that works for you.
EMDR Intensives
An EMDR Intensive is therapy done in concentrated half-day to full-day blocks rather than spread across weekly 50-minute sessions. Standard therapy sessions often end right as you are starting to get somewhere. You have to stop, close thing back down, and return the following week. An intensive removes that constraint. We stay with the material long enough to actually process it to completion. Many clients accomplish in one to three intensive days what would otherwise take months of weekly sessions. It is not a shortcut. It is a different format that suits some people and some goals much better than the traditional model.
A full-day EMDR Intensive, which is 6 hours of session time, is $1950. Full-day intensive formats are available at the therapist’s discretion for appropriate cases. Pricing for extended formats is discussed during the consultation. FSA and HSA are accepted, and a superbill is provided for potential out-of-network reimbursement.
Intensives tend to work well for professionals with limited availability who cannot commit to weekly sessions for months, people who have tried weekly therapy but found it too slow, clients who want structured and accelerated progress on a specific trauma or stuck point, and anyone whose schedule does not support a recurring weekly commitment. They are not right for everyone. The free consultation is where we figure out whether an intensive or weekly therapy is the better fit for your situation.
Yes. A limited number of weekend intensive slots are available, which works well for clients with demanding weekday schedules. Availability varies, so ask about current weekend openings during your consultation.
No. Many clients come to an intensive without any prior EMDR experience. The intensive format includes preparation work at the start where we build grounding skills and identify the specific targets we will be working on before moving into processing. You do not need any prior therapy experience for this to be effective.
Fees and Payment
Healing Hearts Counseling is a self-pay practice for South Carolina and Vermont. However, in Maryland, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is accepted, and in Nevada, Aetna is accepted.
Yes. FSA (Flexible Spending Account) and HSA (Health Savings Account) funds can be used to pay for individual therapy sessions and EMDR Intensives. This is often the most tax-efficient way to manage self-pay therapy costs. Most FSA and HSA debit/credit cards work directly at the time of payment.
A limited number of sliding scale spots are available for clients who are a strong clinical fit but for whom the standard fee creates a real barrier. If this applies to you, bring it up during your free consultation and we can talk honestly about whether it works for your situation. Sliding scale availability changes over time, so it is always worth asking.
A superbill is a detailed receipt that includes your diagnosis code and the treatment codes for each session. It is everything your insurance company needs to process a claim. After each session I provide one that you can submit directly to your insurer. Some insurers make this easy through a member portal. Others requires a paper form. Your insurance company can walk you through their specific process.
Under the No Surprises Act, you have the right to receive a written estimate of expected therapy costs before starting services. As a self-pay client at Healing Hearts Counseling, you will receive a Good Faith Estimate outlining the anticipated cost of your care before your first session. You can view the full Good Faith Estimate policy here.
INITIAL SESSION (55 MIN)
$225
Diagnostic evaluation and intake
STANDARD SESSION (45 MIN)
$200
Ongoing individual therapy
EMDR INTENSIVE (6 HOURS)
$1950
Half-day intensive blocks for 1-3 days
LATE CANCEL OR NO-SHOW
$200
48 hours notice required
States and Licensing
Healing Hearts Counseling provides online therapy and counseling to adults in four states. You much be physically located in the state that corresponds to your therapist’s license at the time of your session.
MARYLAND
LCPC – License #LC5014
CareFirst BCBS in-network
NEVADA
CPC – License #CP-5100R
Aetna in-network
SOUTH CAROLINA
LPC – License #TLC1407PC
Out-of-network
VERMONT
Telehealth LCMHC – License #068.0136924TELE
Out-of-network
No. You need to be physically located in the state at the time of your session. remote workers, seasonal residents, and people temporarily working from a state can all receive services as long as they are in the right state during the appointment. if you split time between two states, we schedule sessions for when you are in a state where I am licensed.
State licensing is based on your physical location during the session, not your home address. For example, if you commute between Maryland and DC or Virginia, sessions need to be scheduled when you are on the Maryland side. The same applies to any state border situation. If you are unsure, it is worth confirming your location when we schedule.
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is accepted in Maryland only. Aetna is accepted in Nevada only. All other states, meaning South Carolina and Vermont, are out-of-network. A superbill is provided for out-of-network reimbursement and FSA and HSA funds are accepted.
Still have a question?
The free 20-minute consultation is the best place to get a direct answer. No paperwork, no commitment, just a real conversation.
