FAQs 

 

Q: In case of an emergency, what do I do?

If you need emergency services, please call 911 immediately or go to the nearest hospital emergency room. I do not provide 24 hr hour, on-call crisis counseling.  However, if appropriate, I can follow up with outpatient counseling services.

 

Q: Do you accept insurance?

A: I accept many different insurance plans through Bethlehem Counseling Associates. Please call 610.865.8177 to inquire.

 

If you are interested in private yoga sessions or counseling sessions with a primary focus on yoga, I do not accept insurance. On a case-by-case basis, I am willing to work on a sliding scale based on income and life circumstances.

 

Q: What kind of therapeutic approach and philosophy  do you use?

A:  Depending on the presenting issues, I use two therapeutic approaches. 

 

• When there is a specific issue that needs addressing, we can work in a solution-focused manner. Counseling in this situation is often short-term and comes to an end when the situation, problem, and/or issue is adequately addressed.

 

• If the presenting issue(s) are based on difficulties stemming from long-standing mental health, personality, or family-of-origin issues, I will discuss with you the need for a longer time frame.  The approach will then be more therapeutic, and less solution-focused (problem solving) in nature. While it is likely that "problems" will be solved or addressed in the course of our work together, the focus is on addressing underlying issues that are at the root of why you are grappling with certain issues that seem to persist and often present with reocurring, recognizable patterns.

 

Whether our work together is short-term solution-focused counseling or longer-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, you and I may choose to incorporate aspects from Kundalini Yoga and Meditation (movement, breathing, meditation, sound therapy, guided visualizations, affirmations), along with exploration and implementation of other stress reduction techniques and lifestyle choices that support optimal physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

 

Q: I've never been in counseling before. What happens? What is it like?

A:  Prior to meeting, I will ask you to read, print out, and complete the forms on the Client Forms section of this website.  These forms include

• Client Intake Form

• Informed Consent Form

• Yoga Liability Waiver Form

• What I Want From Counseling Form

 

When we meet for our first session, I will ask you questions about your individual and family-of-origin history. Together, we will also explore why you have come to therapy and what you hope to get out of your experience.

 

At our second meeting, I will check in with you about how you feel about our relationship - whether you feel it is a "good fit" - and we will begin to set therapeutic goals and establish a realistic time-frame for our work together. 

 

Q: Will you work with individuals who are economically challenged?

A: Yes. If you have financial and lifestyle considerations that make it impossible for you to pay my full fee, I  will offer services on a sliding scale. In many cases, I can accommodate most clients.  If you have questions on fees, please contact me for more information.

 

Q: What are your fees for counseling and yoga?

A: Please contact me to discuss. A typical 50-minute counseling session is $85. However, the price will vary depending on your economic situation, as well as the length and type of services you request.

 

Q: How long are your counseling sessions?

A: A typical counseling session is 50 minutes long. If we decide to include yoga and meditation, we will discuss what time frame is necessary.

 

Q: How long is a private yoga and meditation session?

A: A typical private or group yoga class is 90 minutes.

 

Q: What are your qualifications?

A: I have a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) with a clinical concentration from Fordham University Graduate School of Social Sciences, NY, NY. During this time, I completed one-year internships at Covenant House NYC, which provides mental health and concrete services to homeless adolescents and young adults, and the Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute, which emphasizes a spiritual approach to counseling and psychotherapy. 

 

I completed a four-year training program at the Helix Institute for Healing and Psychotherapy and a one-year certificate program at the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies, both in Manhattan, I am a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in PA and and a licensed social worker (LSW) in NY.  In addition, I am a certified Kundalini Yoga and Meditation instructor.

 

In addition to my private practice, I recently completed five years of employment as an independent contractor for Valley Youth House in Bethlehem, PA, working as a school-based counselor in the Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program (SAP).  During the course of this employment, I worked with students from grades K - 12.

 

I have been working in the field of counseling for 25 years and in the field of yoga and meditation for almost three decades.

 

Q: Who will have access to my records or e-mail correspondence?

A: I, Janice Bourdage aka Ravi Hari Kaur, Lehigh Valley Counseling and Yoga, am the only individual who will have access to your phone calls, messages, emails, initial intake, and progress notes.

 

Q: Are these services confidential?

A: Communications between you and me will be confidential. Thus, your personal information will not be shared with a third party, except in certain specific instances. Pennsylvania law dictates that I can only disclose your personal information to a third party with your provision of a written and signed consent (to another health care provider or insurance company), except in the following instances: indication that you may pose harm to yourself or another, indication of child or elder abuse or neglect, or through a subpoena by a court of law.

 

Q: Are communications through email and/or phone confidential and secure?

A: I, Janice Bourdage aka Ravi Hari Kaur, Lehigh Valley Counseling and Yoga, am the only counselor with access to correspondence sent via email or phone. However, I also encourage my clients to uphold privacy. I cannot  be held responsible for any breech of confidentiality that may take place on your end (e.g., your partner, spouse, relative, or child reads your email or listens to a private voice message). 

 

At present, I am not using email encryption software. Without email encryption, risks include having your email account hacked or viewed by someone with access to your computer. To further insure your privacy, I recommend that do not use email services at work, since your employer has the right to search computer related activity. 

 

 

Still have questions? Please contact me anytime! I look forward to hearing from you.