Frequently Asked Questions

To get to Aspire Counseling from the University of Missouri, start by heading east on Rollins St toward S Providence Rd. Turn left onto S Providence Rd and continue for about 0.6 miles. Turn right onto E Nifong Blvd and continue for about 0.9 miles. Turn left onto Campusview Dr and continue for 0.1 miles. You will find the 7 Oaks Building on your right, at 302 Campusview Dr. Aspire Counseling is located inside the building.

If you're starting from the Columbia Mall, begin by heading east on W Worley St toward S Stadium Blvd. Turn right onto S Stadium Blvd and continue for about 1.3 miles. Turn left onto E Nifong Blvd and continue for about 2.4 miles. Turn right onto Campusview Dr and continue for 0.1 miles. You will find the 7 Oaks Building on your right, at 302 Campusview Dr. Aspire Counseling is located inside the building.

Our office in Lee's Summit is located at 459 SW Ward Rd, and we'd be happy to help you find your way.

From the Blue Springs area:

Start by heading south on MO-7 S

Turn right onto MO-150 E

Turn left onto SW Ward Rd

Continue straight and you'll see our office on the right-hand side, just past the Dollar General and before the Lee's Summit West High School.

From Liberty, MO:

Start by heading north on MO-291 N

Turn left onto MO-150 W

Turn right onto SW Ward Rd

Continue straight and you'll see our office on the left-hand side, just before the Dollar General and after the Lee's Summit West High School.

Whether you're coming from Blue Springs, Liberty or anywhere in the KC area, our office is easy to find and surrounded by local landmarks that you're sure to recognize. If you need any additional help finding your way, don't hesitate to reach out! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Absolutely. It’s totally normal to be nervous about starting therapy. Right now, it’s hard to imagine feeling better. You aren’t sure therapy will work and you’re worried it will feel awkward or uncomfortable to open up to someone new. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. Getting the counseling we need can be challenging. And although it’s normal to be nervous, that doesn’t make it feel great. It takes courage to get the help you need. 

Therapy is a space where you can be yourself and come just as you are, including feeling nervous. Our therapists are committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.  In fact, feel free to bring up your anxiety or past experiences with therapy (good and bad) during your free consultation session.

We know that one of the most important indicators of if you will benefit from therapy is if you are matched with a therapist that is a good fit. So, we want to do what it takes to make sure you are paired with the right person-even if that’s not one of us. But how do we know who the “right” person is?

Take your time to read through our website. Make sure to read about each of our therapists to see who you might feel drawn toward. If you sense that we may be a good fit based on what you are reading, you can contact us. Then, when you reach out, give us as much information as possible to help us figure out who might be a good fit. Let our intake team know generally what you’re coming in for (ex: trauma, social anxiety, etc). Also feel free to let them know about any preferences you may have (a specific gender therapist, someone with early morning openings, etc) and what type of personalities you typically work well with. And, of course, let us know if someone’s video or about page really stood out to you on our site.

Then, during your free consultation session, you can ask your therapist questions about their approach, how they’ve helped other people like you before, or any other questions you may have that are specific-to-you.

It may be helpful to think of the first few sessions as trying out the waters together. During the sessions, you’ll be able to see how you feel working with your new therapist. The truth is, one therapist’s approach is not going to work for everyone. What’s most important to us is that you find someone who you feel is the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

The difference is between someone who can do something and someone who has the training and experience to do that same thing professionally. A mental health professional can help you approach your situation in a new way– teach you new skills, gain different perspectives, listen to you without judgment or expectations, and help you listen to yourself. Furthermore, counseling is completely confidential. You won’t have to worry about others “knowing my business.” Lastly, if your situation provokes a great deal of negative emotion, and you’ve been confiding in a friend or family member, there is the risk that once you are feeling better you could start avoiding that person so you aren’t reminded of this difficult time in your life.

If something feels overwhelming or even terrifying to discuss, that’s actually very normal. It can often feel difficult to talk about some things.. During our sessions, it’s ok if it takes time for us to build a relationship where you feel comfortable sharing some of those bigger things. In fact, it’s our job to give you space to slowly start to work through the tough stuff. Gradually and at a pace that feels comfortable to you, you can share what you feel ready to share

You can also share with me that you are nervous to open up about something and we can talk about that too. Whatever is present for you. Whatever you are going through. Bring that to a session and we can explore that together.

If you open up to one of our therapists, we will not think you are a bad person. Rather, we will know you are courageous and human. Many of our clients have had the same fear (that people would think they are a bad person). 

After many years of working in this field, we have heard incredible stories of strength and survival. And we’ve come to realize how common difficult experiences and emotions actually are. What you’ve experienced is very unlikely to shock or surprise our therapists. But it is your own unique experience and one we here to help you explore.

You have nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing you can say will cause us to judge you. 

We all struggle, we all suffer in different ways, we are humans trying to human. 

Whatever it is you’re going through, our therapists provide a safe space where you can feel heard and supported without judgment

Medication can be effective but it alone cannot solve all issues. Sometimes medication is needed in conjunction with counseling. Our work together is designed to explore and unpack the problems you are experiencing and expand on the strengths that can help you accomplish your personal goals. The truth is, many of our clients both attend therapy and take medication. If you are doing both, we encourage you to sign a release so your prescribing physician (usually a psychiatrist but possibly a primary care doctor) are able to speak about your care if needed.

At Aspire Counseling, we believe in offering counseling that truly works. However, what works for one person isn’t exactly what will work for another person. So, we tailor our approach to your unique needs. Your therapist will get to know you as an individual. And then they’ll talk to you about how your treatment goals and needs fit in with the training they’ve taken. Together, you’ll choose the therapeutic approach that’s best for you.

It can be concerning feeling like things you say or do in therapy could “get out.” So we want you to know that unless you are suicidal, a danger to someone, or in rare circumstances where I’m ordered by a judge to disclose things, everything you say in counseling sessions is completely confidential.

We highly respect your privacy and value your trust. In fact, we go out of our way to ensure your confidentiality.

Many of our clients worry about privacy and have specific reasons to be concerned. For instance, they may have a friend that also attends counseling at our office they’re afraid of running into in the lobby. Or they may have a job where they wouldn’t feel comfortable with people knowing they attend therapy. Or we have teenagers who are worried a therapist will give their guardian a full report after each session. Please feel free to express these concerns in your free consultation session. We will go above and beyond to ensure your privacy.

In summary, you can rest assured that you can talk about anything without fear of that information getting out.

If you have specific questions about how confidentiality works, you can ask them during your free consultation session or anytime during our work together.

Overall, you can think of the first session as a two-way interview where we can ask each other questions so we can begin to know each other. Your therapist will invite you to share more about yourself and we can also talk about what’s worked or not worked for your mental health in the past.

Some questions our therapist may ask during a first session include:

What brought you to therapy? 

Have you gone to therapy before? How did that go? 

What goals would you like to reach by going to therapy?

You can ask the therapist questions as well. In fact, we encourage you to ask questions. For example, you might be curious about their experience or how future sessions work. 

The most important part of a first session is that you see if you feel this therapist a good fit for you. If you feel safe, accepted, and comfortable, we can discuss if you’d like to meet again. 

The first step is to reach out to our client care team. You can fill out the contact form on our website, e-mail info@aspirecounselingmo.com or call 573-328-2288. When you’re ready to find healing, our therapists are here to help.