Clicking the “Next Step” will take you to a secure, HIPAA-compliant online platform called SimplePractice, used specifically by Bluefield Psychological Services, PLLC. This platform manages scheduling, billing and payments, telehealth sessions, client portals, and secure messaging. SimplePractice also offers a client-specific mobile app, allowing you to manage your care conveniently from your phone. Overall, it helps make our communication and administrative processes more efficient and secure.

The initial session is to give us time to set the frame for the therapeutic relationship and establish a couple of things. First is a professional while relational connection between you and I. The therapeutic alliance we co-create is just as important as any intervention we discuss or implement.

Second, we work toward a shared understanding of the purpose of therapy—addressing why you are seeking therapy and what you hope to gain from it. Third, we begin to identify the methods we may use to work toward those goals. This process takes time. Our initial task is to find a clear therapeutic focus together. While that focus may evolve over time, it provides an essential starting point for treatment planning.

A formal diagnosis is typically established using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) or, depending on your insurance provider, the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10). These systems contain standardized diagnoses used by mental and medical health professionals to describe a shared set of criteria—often a specific cluster of symptoms occurring over a defined period of time and level of impairment.

Unfortunately, diagnostic terms are sometimes misused outside of clinical contexts. For example, someone may say another person is being “bipolar” when they are simply noticing shifts between irritability and pleasantness. It is important to remember that people are not their diagnoses—you are not a label. Diagnoses help professionals understand patterns of symptoms, guide treatment planning, and coordinate care with other providers. While diagnoses can be helpful and necessary, I am equally—if not more—interested in getting to know you as a whole person rather than simply applying a label.

Mental health providers are more than just dispensers of interventions or director others towards resources. The therapeutic relationship is an essential agent of change by truly getting to know clients in a deep meaningful way. This is what is meant by therapy being done with someone rather than to someone. You are seen as a valuable resource in the therapeutic process. So much so, therapy is impossible without your active involvement and contributions.

Christian Spiritual Integration is an approach to therapy that thoughtfully integrates Christian faith with evidence-based psychological care. Spiritual Integration with Psychology at Bluefield Psychological Services views each person as created in the image of God, designed for relationship with God, others, and the world. We recognize that human suffering and psychological distress arise from a complex interaction of biological, emotional, relational, spiritual, and life experiences, including trauma, loss, and brokenness. Therapy acknowledges both human vulnerability and human dignity.

Healing involves more than just symptom relief; it includes growth in awareness, meaning, character, and connection with God and others. Psychological science provides valuable tools for understanding thoughts, emotions, attachment, and behavior, while Christian faith offers a deeper framework for purpose, hope, and restoration. When clients desire, faith can be thoughtfully integrated into the therapeutic process in a respectful and clinically sound way.

Therapy is a collaborative and relational process—walking alongside clients toward greater wholeness, truth, and emotional health, while honoring Christian values, beliefs, and your personal journey.