About Diana Hughes, LPC, NCC
With each stage in life, we are faced with new challenges. Sometimes new challenges may be too difficult to deal with alone and other times, we carry old problems with us. In order to live a happier, healthier life, we need to address those problems head on. With previous work as a high school teacher and now as a counselor, I have experience working with adolescent problems, divorce or separation, loss, cultural challenges, and coping skills. I have worked with clients that only speak Spanish and am accepting of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
My goal is to provide a safe, judgement-free space for you. As a therapist, I am energetic, direct, and goal-oriented. I enjoy participating in real conversations with my clients, and I’m not afraid to challenge them. I believe an authentic therapeutic relationship is an important catalyst for change.
Through use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I work to empower my clients with tools and insights needed to deal with their current and future problems. You will be given homework to take what you learn out of the office and implement it into your daily life. We will set measurable and realistic goals to improve your mental health.
Seeking professional help is not weakness. It takes strength to ask and accept help when you can no longer deal with things on your own. You have already recognized your need for therapy and I encourage you to follow through with setting an appointment.
Our Services
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Cognitive Processing Therapy is an evidence based treatment used to treat PTSD. It consists of approximately 12 weeks of sessions. Unlike other forms of trauma therapy, you don’t have to retell the story of your traumatic event. Instead, we focus on your thoughts about what happened and challenge those “stuck points” that allow for the PTSD to continue.
**If you are experiencing severe suicide ideation or self harm urges in addition to PTSD, the recommendation would be to start with DBT therapy before treating the trauma.
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy, otherwise know as DBT therapy, is an evidence based practice that was created by Marsha Linehan to treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder. It has also been used successfully with mood disorders and to treat people that struggle with self harm behaviors and suicide ideation.
DBT therapy includes weekly individual sessions as well as weekly group skills training (not to be confused with support groups).
The treatment consists of self monitoring and learning new coping skills to manage intense emotions and urges. In DBT, we work towards creating a life worth living.
If you are interested in the comprehensive DBT program, groups would be done virtually through DBT Columbia. For more information go to DBT Columbia .
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People often believe they aren’t “sick enough” or that others have it worse. These beliefs can get in the way of seeking therapy. You don’t have to have a formal diagnosis or experience severe symptoms to start therapy. If you are experiencing any of the following, therapy can be beneficial.
*Moderate to severe anxiety
*Moderate to severe depression
*Struggling with adjusting to a new phase in life
*Loss or grief
*General support and/or guidance
*Learning coping skills
*Experiencing problems in relationships
*Wanting to break generational trauma
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With Covid came a lot of changes and one of those is how much more accessible therapy can be for those in rural areas. If you have physical limitations, anxiety, or time constraints that hinder the ability to commute to weekly appointments, telehealth therapy, or virtual therapy, can be a great option.
For tips on how to have effective telehealth sessions read the following blog.
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Due to limitations in space and scope of practice, we are not offering treatment for the following at this time:
Minors under the age of 13
Families
Couples
Eating disorders
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50 minute individual sessions $110
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50 minute individual sessions are $110
2 hour weekly group skills training are $50
Treatment generally lasts one year. As symptoms improve and clients get closer to graduating skills group, individual session may be reduced to biweekly appointments.
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If you are concerned about the cost of therapy or are uncertain of the investment, read the following article for more information: Can I Afford Counseling
Investment
Insurance
As our priority is providing high- quality care, we are currently not accepting insurance. While we do provide superbills so you can submit to insurance for reimbursement, some people opt to not bill insurance for the following reasons:
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Not billing your insurance for mental health services insures that we can keep you mental health records confidential. This allows for a greater feeling of safety in opening up and being honest about struggles in your life. Knowing others won’t have access to your diagnosis or symptoms can be of great importance.
Furthermore, previous treatment and diagnosis won’t follow you the rest of your life impacting future employment opportunities, changing insurance companies or applying for life insurance. When therapy is paid by insurance, your treatment and diagnosis become a part of your permanent medical record and is considered a preexisting condition.
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Unfortunately, having insurance that covers mental health treatment doesn’t mean your treatment will be covered. Most insurance companies require prior authorization which means you first have to be referred by a primary care physician. Also, only diagnosis that are considered medically necessary are covered. This can lead to feeling pressure to lie about symptoms or asking your therapist to give you a diagnosis you don’t meet the criteria for.
In addition to first having to get approved, once you start meeting goals and symptoms begin to improve, your insurance company may decide you don’t need therapy anymore and stop paying for it even if you aren’t ready to end therapy.
This means that if you are someone struggling with relationships, transitioning to a new job or school due to a move, or are processing the loss of a loved one, you may not able to receive services.
Basically, when going through insurance, they get to dictate treatment instead of you and your therapist.
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The therapeutic relationship is a unique relationship where vulnerability and openness are required. Studies continuously show that the therapeutic relationship is more important that the approach in client improvement. It can take a while to find the right therapist, one that you feel comfortable with and that can meet your needs. Going through insurance can limit who you see and get you stuck in long waitlists.
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Most private practices don’t have the ability to hire personnel for a billing department. This means that on average, for every hour spend with a client, a therapist spends 30-60 minutes on billing, documentation and authorization paperwork. This is time that could be spent with clients or obtaining additional training or consultation to better serve our clients.
This also means that a therapist may have to limit sessions to what an insurance company will reimburse for as opposed to what they believe is effective treatment.
Finally, different insurance companies reimburse therapists at different rates which means a therapist may have to add more clients to their caseload to keep the doors open and meet their family’s needs. This can lead to burnout and a decrease in quality of care.
Visit Us
Located Hours Contact
1114 West Main St. Monday–Wednesday (816) 200- 0726
Blue Springs, MO 64015 9am–6pm diana@dhcounselingmo.com
Located inside Blue Springs Law Office on the second floor. Thursday-Friday
9am- 2pm