FAQ
Where is your office located?
My office is located at:
4405 7th AVe SE Second Floor Waiting Room Lacey, WA 98503
The office is on the second floor. Go up the stairs or take the elevator.
Near the landing there is a sign that says “Waiting Room” enter that room, and I will come get you.
When you arrive please text me at – 360-480-0027 to let me know you are in the waiting room.
Parking is in one of the spaces marked “Practice NW” or along the street between the park and the building
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What are your office hours?
My office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Thursday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM for Zoom check-in sessions.
How long are the sessions?
How do I set up an initial appointment?
The quickest way to set up an initial appointment is to call me at (360) 480-0027 and leave a message if I do not answer.
Also, you can email me at kevala@healingthepast.com.
What is your cancellation policy?
With what age ranges do you work?
With what individuals do you work?
What do I do to get started?
Contact me through a phone call, text, or email, and we will set up an appointment. There is also a Questionnaire to fill out before our first appointment.
What do you do in sessions with clients?
In early sessions, we will spend time gathering information about what is going on for you. After the initial session, we will do different things depending on what brought you to therapy.
If the issue is trauma, some sessions will focus on how it impacts your life and ways to manage trauma symptoms. We would also have sessions either doing EMDR or hypnotherapy, depending on how you want to work and what seems to be helping you the most.
Depending on the issues you bring to the session, we may also do Mind Clearing sessions.
Information on EMDR, Hypnotherapy, and Mind Clearing is available in the specialties area of the Website.
Can you control me in hypnotherapy sessions?
No, you are always in control. If I ask you a question under hypnosis that you do not want to answer, you will not answer it.
You know you are in the room, and you know I am there. In hypnotherapy, you have two experiences simultaneously; one may be in your childhood, and at the same time, you know you are in session in the office.
You are not asleep but are in a deep trance state, a bit like being in a deep meditative state.
Does trauma therapy retraumatize me?
No, even though you contact a trauma experience in some trauma therapies, there is a separation, and you are not reliving the incident. These therapies provide a way to protect you from trauma.
Even though the session may be challenging, you usually have relief from the processed material at the end of therapy.
Do your clients receive assignments to work on between sessions?
Yes, I refer to these as action projects. Sometimes, these projects involve information-gathering activities. For example, if someone has behaviors that bother them, I may ask them to track how often these behaviors happen in the week between sessions. Usually, this action project does not last for months but rather for a few weeks.
Sometimes, the action project may be to complete a cycle where you feel stuck in an area of your life. I may also suggest reading a book (this could be reading or listening to an audiobook).
What modalities do you use in your work with clients?
What kind of hypnotherapy do you use?
I may use different hypnotherapy techniques and even other trancework processes. Mostly, I do regression therapy meaning that we look for the source of why something is an issue in your life.
Hypnotherapy can address many life issues, behavior issues, addictive substances, and even body pain or other body issues.
What is your professional training and experience?
I have a master’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling and have been a therapist since 1994.
I trained in hypnotherapy for ten years with the Wellness Institute. During this time, I learned techniques described as Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy, which I have used for over 20 years.
I also have used EMDR for over 20 years and have worked with war veterans and sexual assault victims for many years.
I studied Mind Clearing for 12 years with one of my teachers and have practiced it for almost 20 years.
What else does a client need to know to make the most of working with you?
A client needs to know that therapy is a process and not a quick fix for life issues. Even if you experience relief after a couple of sessions, we have not likely gotten to the true source of the problem that quickly.
The more dedicated you are to the process, the more benefit you will receive from therapy.
Are you LGBTQIA friendly?
Do you work with people from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions?
Yes, I was in the Army for 21 years and have worked with people of most ethnicities, backgrounds, and religions. I have also lived in different countries and learned much from those experiences.
In my work after the Army, I have done in-home services with families in several counties in the state for 22 years, working with people of many diverse backgrounds and ethnicities.
How long will I be in therapy?
That depends on the issues presented and what kind of help you want. Some clients desire help in a specific area of life, and usually, they are in therapy for a relatively short time – maybe 6 to 12 sessions.
Other clients seek help more in life in general, and those clients usually stay in therapy until they have arrived at a place of general peace and happiness with themselves and their life circumstances. These clients often work for a year or more on their life and themselves.
Does anyone cry in front of you?
Who benefits from therapy?
Is there anyone you won't see?
We will explore this question in a free consult or in early sessions to determine whether we are a good fit.
I am not an expert in all areas. If we are not a good fit, I will attempt to refer you to another therapist who can better address your issues.
Do you offer video or phone sessions?
Yes, I do. I prefer video sessions to phone sessions, but I will work with you to connect.
On Thursdays, I also offer a quick check-in video session of 15 to 20 minutes for support between scheduled sessions, if necessary.
How do I know if you are the right therapist for me?
During our early sessions, we will see if we are a good fit. Part of the decision relates to whether your issues match my areas of expertise and whether my style of therapy is comfortable for you.
We also need to determine whether our personalities enable us to work well together. Sometimes, two people do not do well together. The best indicator is whether you feel helped by me.
Is our work confidential?
Absolutely. Our work is confidential. Not only is it ethical to keep our work confidential, but it is the law in Washington State to hold everything in confidence. In Washington, therapists have the same level of privilege as lawyers.
The exceptions to confidentiality are if you give me written permission to talk to someone about specific issues you allow me to discuss. The other exception is when I receive a subpoena about information from sessions. In over 20 years, this has never happened.
The other question about confidentiality is whether our sessions are confidential if I work with you as part of a couple. In this case, that information is confidential between the individual and me, unless that person permits me to share that information with their partner or bring up that information in a couples session.
Once a client discloses the issue in a couples session, it is then permissible to talk about it in that context.
Do couples fight in front of you?
Fighting has happened in couples sessions, but I do not prefer this because conflict is not a productive way to work out the relationship’s issues.
I prefer that each person tells me their experiences in the relationship without blaming or laying a trip on their partner. As we dig deeper into the issues of the couple, we will resolve the problems that the couple cannot resolve on their own.
Do you take sides?
How long have you been in practice?
What are your strengths as a therapist?
Have you been in therapy yourself?
Yes, I have been in therapy a few times myself. Part of my therapy included receiving EMDR sessions to address personal trauma experiences.
I have also engaged in hypnotherapy for ten years while training as a hypnotherapist. My exposure to hypnotherapy was experiential. We practiced giving and receiving hypnotherapy (and something called psychodrama) during training and participated in breathwork sessions. There were also other processes that we experienced during those training weekends.
Also, I trained as a Mind Clearer for 12 years, and during that time, I had to give and receive many hours of sessions, including sessions with advanced teachers. Again, this was experiential training.
What is your educational background?
I have a master’s degree in psychology from Chapman University, emphasizing Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling. I also have a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maryland.
Additionally, I have a master’s degree in business administration from Brandman University.