Psychotherapist Donita Lake, MA, QMHP

My process with initially working with New Clients is to conduct an intake to assess their reason for seeking counseling. Next, I conduct a 1x1 clinical assessment that will be utilized for treatment planning and setting theraputic goals.

Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Northwestern University 

LPC Pending 

My Standard pricing system is based on services rendered and generally start at $35.00 per session for individual counseling $75.00 for Brief Therapy Session and $95.00 for Marriage and Couples Therapy. Family Therapy varies based on Family Systems approach applied.

On the hills of my career as a  Modeling and Stage Actress, I started a career development center for aspiring talent to teach the Art of Modeling and the Craft of Acting. In this process, it was My endeavor to use my 25 plus years of expertise to enhance the lives of uprising talent. Here, the goals were to provide talent with the essential tools of the trades and practical skill set to perform and professionally  pursue a career in this very competitive field.

In the training phase of my workshops, during improvisation course it is then I realized my talents were portraying their own lived experiences and therefore, would required more than the technical abilities to perform to be successful or to even come close. With that, I thought my talents issues far outweighed their desires to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Here, I strongly believed, unless I provided guidance and coaching to address their pressing issues , I would be doing a major disservice and would be setting them up for major disappointments. It is at this point that my role shifted from talent director to life/ wellness and career coach. From there, my Mother encouraged me to follow in her foot steps and become a Counselor and so I did.

Indivdual, Couples Marraige and Families and Group Counseling. Adolescents, Adults LBGTQ Elderly. Hospice End of Life Care. Addiction Substance Use Therapy. Career Counseling. Behavioral Health. Criminal Justice. Inpatient Residential Treatment &  Intensive Out Patient Care. Foster Care DCFS. Trauma. Domestic Violence Mediation Prevention Intervention.

Becoming a Grandmother.

When seeking to hire a Therapist, it is important to ask the questions that are going to provide you with the answers to assess this person's ability to meet your theraputic needs. Just as we as  counselors must conduct certain assessments to ensure we understand your needs as the client; with the goal of putting in place a theraputic approach consistent with best practices, you too must be provided the information that informs and supports your  decision to hire a particular therapist of your choosing.

It is best that clients come into the theraputic space with working insight of their reasons for seeking treatment and be open to the process of therapy.  Considering, it is that very narrative that will guide the theraputic process and therefore set the tone for the type of questions a clients should ask to ensure the therapist is qualified to meet their clinical needs. Its always best to ask the how..How will this Therapist attempt to address the needs of the client . What theraputic approach  or theoretical orientation will this clinician apply to practice to address clients needs and what are the goals for treatment. Additionally, a client may want to inquire about the  expected outcomes of therapy. The more a client knows the greater the chances are that the therapist and client will establish a good rapport that sets the tone for building strong theraputic alliance.