(828) 734-7318     ned@spring-counseling.com

The state of North Carolina requires that Licensed Professional Counselors provide a professional disclosure statement.  You may read mine below. You will be asked to sign a copy prior to beginning our work together.  Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

 

Edward Martin (Ned), MA, LPC, NCC
Counselor and Owner, Spring Counseling

It can be difficult to make the choice to seek counseling, and my goal is to be helpful to you as you explore this process.  The following information is meant to tell you about my training and background and to inform you about the nature of our professional relationship.  I encourage you to read closely and to feel free to ask questions about anything you find here.

Credentials and Supervision:

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in North Carolina.  I hold the following credentials and degrees:
•    Licensed Professional Counselor (#8147)
•    MA Counseling:  Wake Forest University, 2010
•    M.Div., Duke University, 2002
•    BA, The College of William and Mary, 1999

I am a member of the American Counseling Association and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

Experience and Services Provided:

I have been counseling since 2009 and provide the following services for adults and adolescents:

  • Marriage and Couples Counseling

  • Individual and Group Counseling

  • Spiritual concerns and search for meaning and purpose

  • Anxiety and Stress Reduction

  • Grief and Loss

  • Trauma or crisis

  • developmental challenges and life transitions

  • Depression

  • Substance abuse and dependence

  • Compulsive addictive behavior (internet, sex, food)

  • Career development

  • Mental Health Counseling

Theoretical Orientation and the Counseling Process:

I take a developmental and wellness oriented counseling approach that is informed by the insights of depth psychology, mindfulness, acceptance and emotionally focused therapies.  As a counselor, I am convinced that individuals, couples, groups and families already have significant resources for love, creativity, wellness and healing available to them.  Many of the difficulties we face in our lives cause us to suffer because we are unaware of or disconnected from these deep and powerful sources of wellness within and around us.  Our feelings, thoughts, memories, behaviors, physical senses and relationships all combine to contribute to our experience of wellbeing or illness, and any therapeutic work we do together will take seriously the interconnectedness of each of these factors in your life experiences.

I believe that change and growth take root most deeply within a compassionate, safe and nonjudgmental environment.  In working with you to discover your own strength and wisdom, I will suggest interventions with the purpose of encouraging progress toward your goals. I tend to favor interventions that promote emotional awareness, mindfulness, self-reflection, acceptance and committed action toward valued goals because they show strong evidence of effectiveness in the treatment of many difficulties.  

At times it can be helpful therapeutically and for insurance purposes to use a specific diagnosis to describe your condition (using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition).  Because diagnoses may become a part of your medical and/or insurance records it is essential that we work together to ensure an accurate and beneficial description of your symptoms.  You are encouraged to be an active participant both in the diagnosis process and in the counseling relationship as a whole.  I encourage you to ask questions at anytime you are confused or concerned.

Risks and Limits of the Counseling Relationship:

    There are some risks involved in entering into a counseling relationship.  Some changes may actually increase your feelings of sadness, stress, anxiety, uncertainty, anger or grief.  You also may become aware of new issues or concerns that cause you distress.  Actively engaging in the process of adjustment and change can be difficult and uncomfortable especially as most of the “work” occurs as you apply therapeutic insight and experience to your personal life between sessions.

Also, because of the intimate nature of the counseling relationship, it is not uncommon for some clients develop strong feelings about their counselors. Please do not offer gifts or ask me to relate to you in any other manner than the professional context of our counseling sessions. I believe you will be best served if our relationship remains strictly professional and if our sessions concentrate exclusively on your concerns. Please note that in order to protect your confidentiality, I will treat you anonymously in public unless you initiate public interaction.

Fees, Clientele Served and Appointment Information: 

My services are available to adults only; individuals, couples and groups.

My fee is $150 per 55 minutes for individual sessions and $200 per 55 minutes for couples sessions. I am not in-network for any insurance providers.

Payment is due at the time of service.

Appointments are typically 60 or 90 minutes.

I understand that life can be chaotic, but I request 24 hour notice for rescheduling or cancellation. Repeated no shows or late cancellations will result in owing the full fee per missed session and the possibility of discontinuing counseling services.

Confidentiality:

    All of our communication, including diagnoses, becomes part of the clinical record, which is accessible to you upon request (unless doing so would be psychologically harmful). I will keep confidential anything that you say to me, with the following exceptions: 1) you direct me to tell someone else; 2) I determine that you are an immanent danger to yourself or others; 3) I am ordered by a court to disclose information; 4) Information you provide leads me to suspect that there is child and/or elder abuse; 5) you are a minor for whom confidentiality is limited to the extent exercised by your parent/legal guardian.

Office Hours and Emergency Information:

•    My hours are currently by appointment only.  I may not be in the office during regular business hours.

•    Any time you experience a psychological crisis that does not require immediate medical assistance please call me at (828) 734-7318.  If I do not answer, I will return your call within 24 hours.

•    If you experience a crisis requiring immediate attention, please contact Appalachian Community Services Mobile Crisis Team at (888) 315-2880.

Referrals and Complaints:

If at any time for any reason you feel we may not be a good therapeutic “match,” I encourage your feedback and will attempt to adjust my approach. If I am not able to resolve your concerns, or come to believe that I am unable to assist you in reaching your goals, I am happy to provide you with a minimum of three referrals to other clinicians. If at any time you are dissatisfied with my services, please let me know. If you believe I have acted unethically or in a manner that threatens your health and well-being you may register a complaint with my licensing board:

North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors
PO Box 77819  Greensboro, NC 27417,  (844) 622-3572,   complaints@ncblpc.org