Lee, Marriage Counselor in Saint Paul, 55114

Kerry McIntyre-Lee, MA, LAMFT

Profession(s):
Marriage & Family Therapy
License Status:
I'm a licensed professional.
Primary License:
Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist - 2387

My Approach to Helping

I have a sincere passion for helping people who are struggling with the pressures and complexities of life. My work is guided by the philosophy that within every individual lies the capability to overcome whatever obstacles they may be facing. My job is to help you identify those strengths and capabilities in order to overcome your personal hurdles. I believe in exploring the past in order to help you understand how your early experiences in life helped shape who you are today. Once we have an understanding of how you arrived at this point in your life, we can begin working on changing your direction. I work to foster an environment of comfort and collaboration for my clients and one in which they feel confident in sharing their most personal thoughts and feelings. Finally, I will work with you to set realistic and tangible goals that we will regularly review together in order to track your ongoing progress.

The name of my practice is Compass Marriage and Family Therapy because I liken my work to that of a compass - an instrument that guides you, shows the way or may provide a new direction when one is lost. But a compass can only point out a different directionâ��ultimately you are the one who has to walk down that path.

More Info About My Practice

My standard fee for a 50-minute session is $90. I understand that, particularly in this economy, affording therapy can be difficult. To that end, some alternative payment options are available to those unable to afford the full session fee.

I do not currently accept insurance and offer my services on a fee-for-service basis. Confidentiality and respect for my clients are my biggest priorities in my practice and I believe that both of these can be compromised when working with insurance companies. I don't like the idea of multiple people at an insurance, people who have never met you, being able to dictate the type and frequency of your therapy. I also don't like the idea of multiple people whom you have never met being able to review confidential information about you and your life.

However, my biggest reason for not working with insurance companies is that it conflicts with one of my core philosophies about therapy. In order for an insurance company to allow you to see a therapist, the therapist has to give you a mental illness diagnosis. This goes against one of my deepest held beliefs about therapy. That is, I believe that the decision to seek therapy is a sign of good health and I absolutely disagree that because someone wants a space to discuss their larger life issues, that means that person is ill. I believe that if you are willing to work on the issues you are facing, it means you are committed to leading a healthy life and need not be considered "mentally ill" by an insurance company.

I offer a free half-hour consultation to all new clients in which we can sit down in person and discuss my general approach to therapy as well as work out payment methods. I encourage all potential clients to take advantage of this consultation as it is a great way for you to meet me and decide if I am a good fit for your therapeutic needs.