FAQs
Emergencies
If you are considering harming yourself or others and/or taking your life or the life of another person, please call 988 or text 988 for free and confidential support.
https://988lifeline.org/ will connect you to compassionate care and support for mental health-related distress.
#988Lifeline
Location and Hours
In-person counseling is provided at my Frisco office, which is conveniently located just 3 miles from the intersection of Interstate 121 and the Dallas North Tollway.
ADDRESS
9555 Lebanon Road
Building 4, Suite 402
Frisco, TX 75035
VIEW MAP
I can be reached at 469-747-1826.
Appointments are offered on Monday through Thursday and Saturdays. Upon request, there is occasional availability for early morning and late evening appointments.
I offer a limited number of evening and Saturday appointments. Because these times are the most coveted, a commitment to regular attendance is required and the late cancellation fee is enforced.
About Appointments
As of January 2023, I am.
Online counseling is offered to anyone in Texas. I share your frustrations of having to navigate complicated and confusing websites and sign-on instructions. My telehealth platform is simple. With just two clicks, we will be face-to-face.
The typical session lasts 50 minutes. On occasion, a client may choose to schedule a longer session. This can be particularly helpful if a client’s availability or commute makes it difficult to meet regularly.
My goal for the first session is to get a basic understanding of who you are, what your concerns are, and how those concerns are impacting you and others. If you have worked with a therapist in the past, I will ask what was beneficial and what was not so beneficial about that therapist’s approach. Confidentiality will be discussed, and you will have an opportunity to ask questions. Ultimately, the first session is about you getting a sense of who I am and what it would be like to work with me. The importance of feeling both comfortable with and confident in the therapist you choose to work with should not be underestimated.
Sessions usually begin by touching base regarding the previous week and in what ways, if any, the concerns we are working on showed up in your life. We will discuss what has been helpful and introduce new skills if needed. I will highlight unhealthy patterns, beliefs, or behaviors I see and encourage you to consider their origins, their validity, and in what ways they may be preventing you from achieving your goals. We will close by summarizing what was discussed, and between sessions, I will ask you to reflect on any new insights.
The first and most influential step for effective counseling is one that I am largely responsible for – to create a comfortable and non-judgmental environment in which you can risk being vulnerable. Once your authentic self feels safe enough to acknowledge what it has worked so hard to keep hidden, you are on your way to getting the most out of counseling.
The simplest answer is “your body will tell you.” You will have new tools to choose from that allow you to alter old patterns. You will no longer feel “stuck,” but will be able to identify options. The memories that lived in your body as emotions and energy will simply be words/thoughts. They will no longer show up as a panic attack, uncontrollable anger, or protective isolation.
I utilize a variety of techniques when working with clients. Honestly, I don’t see any other way to do it. We are all unique individuals with unique concerns. No two clients are the same, and therefore no single approach will work.
The approaches I use most often are:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) translates to “our thoughts affect our behaviors and emotions.” If we can alter our perception, our actions and emotions will naturally follow.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a technique originally used to treat PTSD. However, research has shown it to be just as effective in treating trauma, abuse, anger, negative self-talk, self-sabotaging, panic attacks, phobias, relational distress, and much more.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is centered on the belief that nearly all of our behaviors, even the dysfunctional ones, are attempts to feel connected, loved, and secure. Seen in this light, behaviors such as withdrawing, shutting down, anger, blaming, belittling, etc. are simply attempts to feel relationally safe and connected to a loved one. The motivation for the action is understandable, however, the behavior is likely contributing to the very thing that is feared the most.
With few exceptions, what is shared in counseling is considered confidential information and can not be disclosed without your written consent. Complete details can be found in my Informed Consent document.
Free Consultation Call
- The consultation call is an opportunity for you to get a feeling for who I am, what I do, and how you may feel working with me. A short conversation can often provide a fairly accurate picture of a person’s personality. I hope you will hear my relaxed tone, the warmth in my voice, and my belief that regardless of our background, education, experiences, or age – everyone deserves to be treated with the same dignity and respect.
- This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions you may have.
- And lastly, I also will ask a few questions such as:
– What is leading you to explore counseling at this time?
– How can I help you?
– Have you been in therapy before? What things were helpful? What was not helpful?
Many factors influence this, such as what is bringing you to therapy, how long you have been struggling, and to what degree your concerns are affecting your quality of life. Clients often make the most progress from meeting 2-4 times/month. However, if you are in an acute state of crisis, you may benefit from meeting more frequently (twice a week) until your crisis has stabilized. Once or twice a month is often enough for clients who are proactively seeking counseling, for example, to establish a healthy foundation in a new marriage or for parenting support.
Scheduling
Potential new clients and existing clients can schedule appointments via my website 24 hours a day. By using my scheduling link, you will be able to see what times I have available and match that with what works best for your schedule. You can follow this process for making a free 15-minute consultation appointment, an initial appointment, or a follow-up appointment.
New clients and existing clients are able to schedule their own appointments by using the following link:
https://renee-cagle.clientsecure.me/
You can easily compare my availability with your own and choose a time that works best. As long as it is done at least 24 hours prior, appointments can be rescheduled or cancelled using the same link.
Appointments must be canceled or rescheduled no later than 24 hours before your scheduled session in order to avoid a late cancellation fee/no-show fee equal to 50% of your session charge amount.
If done more than 24 hours before your scheduled session, cancellations and rescheduling requests can be done online, any time of day/night, and do not require you to speak directly to me.
About EMDR
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a less distressing approach to treating trauma. Supported by a substantial research base spanning more than 30 years, it is known as an effective form of treatment for trauma recovery and PTSD. The World Health Organization, The United States Department of Defense, and The United States Department of Veterans Affairs all supported and promoted EMDR therapy.
The method by which EMDR is thought to assist in processing trauma is based on the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model. The AIP model states that our brain stores normal and traumatic memories in different ways. When difficult things happen, and no one helps us make sense of those things, our brain stores the memory as the experience. An unprocessed trauma memory is thought to be stored in the body as the physical and emotional experience while a difficult memory that has been processed, is more likely to be stored in your head, as a thought.
When a person experiences something similar to the original unprocessed traumatic memory, their body reacts similarly to the original painful event. It happens in an instant, and the reaction is often disproportionate to the present-day event. This may leave them feeling out of control and those around them confused.
EMDR helps you to access difficult memories in a specific way that will allow your brain to make sense of them. The result is that you will no longer “relive” your trauma day after day, week after week. The memories are not erased, but they no longer live as intense feelings in your body. They are desensitized.
About My Services
Individuals
- Teens
- Young Adults
- Adults
Couples
- Married couples
- Separated couples
- Fractured relationships
- Fractured friendships
Parent/Child/Family Relationships
- Parenting support
- Strained parent/child relationships
- Strained sibling relationships
- Early Childhood Trauma
- Intimate Partner Violence
- Abuse and Neglect
- Traumatic Events
- Relationship Trauma
- Generational Trauma
Mother Wounds and Generational Trauma
- Emotional/Physical Neglect
- Abandonment
- Inherited Low Self-esteem
- Child Parentification
- Children of Alcoholics/Addicts
- Children of Divorce
- Emotional/Physical/Verbal Abuse
- Loss of Parent
- Communication Skills
- Relationship Repair
- Rewriting Your Story
- Identifying the Patterns
- Helping to Evaluate the Health of a Relationship
- Pre-marital Counseling
- Monthly Relationship Health and Growth Support
- How to Parent at Each Stage
- How to Establish and Maintain Healthy Boundaries
- How to Identify What You Are Actually Fighting About
- What to Consider as you Prepare to Welcome Your First Child
- How to Care for Yourself so You Can Care For Others
- How to Parent as a Team
- Becoming Confident in Your Parenting Skills
I do not prescribe medication. I will however, assess the efficacy of any medication for mental health treatment you may be taking, and with your consent, discuss my findings with your doctor.
I have a master’s degree from Texas A&M Commerce in Community Mental Health Counseling.
My bachelor’s degree is from Northern Illinois University in Nursing.
I am EMDR trained.
I have completed all level of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Training, consisting of over 80 hours of in-person instruction.
Insurance and Cost
The fee for each 50-minute session is $140, which is payable on the date of service. I offer a $20 discount if you are able to come Monday – Friday before 5:00pm.
Payment can be made using cash, HSA, debit cards, and most major credit cards.
Post Script Counseling Frisco is an out-of-network provider. I encourage you to check with your insurance provider to see if they offer out-of-network coverage. If they do, you will still need to pay for services in full at your appointment, but I can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance group and any insurance payment would be made directly to you. Unfortunately, I do not submit insurance claims on your behalf.
Because I believe mental health support should be reasonably accessible to everyone. I offer a reduced-fee contract to a limited number of clients.
Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 established several new requirements to protect consumers from surprise medical bills. These requirements are collectively referred to as “No Surprises” rules.
- You have a right to receive a "Good Faith Estimate" explaining how much your medical care will cost. Health care providers are required to give patients who do not have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical services.
- You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
- Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
- If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute your bill.
- Make sure you have a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
- Counseling with Renee Cagle, LPC and PS Counseling Frisco PLLC, as outlined in the informed consent, are at the client’s will. You are in control of the frequency of appointments, the duration, and you always have the right at any time to discontinue therapy with me. Upon counseling termination, the only financial obligation you will have will be for services already provided.
- For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers.
