Michael Bush, LPC

What is “Catholic Counseling” As a practicing Roman Catholic, Mike integrates spirituality and faith with sound psychological practice in order to address the needs of the whole person. The services provided are informed by the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and therapeutic guidance will reflect a Catholic view of human dignity, ethics, and moral integrity. Catholic Counseling is rooted in compassion and empathy and not in judging the behaviors, thoughts or feelings that individuals are stuck in and want to change. Catholic Counseling seeks to bring Jesus into problems, issues and wounded places as He is the most effective healer and agent of change. Do you see Non-Catholics? Absolutely, Yes. Christians of all denominations and traditions are welcome, as are individuals with diverse faith backgrounds, individuals without a faith background, and individuals who do not believe in God. An individual’s faith will be drawn on as a positive support only to the extent that the individual wants to include spirituality in counseling. Those who prefer that Catholic/Christian prayer, teaching, or spirituality not be integrated into their treatment will be offered counseling based on sound psychological interventions. The St Joseph Center does not discriminate based on faith, and individuals in services can count on being treated with dignity, respect and compassion. What is your Counseling Approach? Mike’s counseling approach is rooted in person centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, two long-standing and long-studied approaches to counseling. Mike integrates prayer, inner healing prayer techniques and the Immanuel Approach in to his practice as well as encouraging frequent reception of the Sacraments. Although focused mostly on present thoughts, feelings and behaviors, Mike believes that a lot of the ways that we get stuck as adults are based on past wounds and our natural adaptations to those wounds. In these cases, counseling seeks to identify and heal long standing wounds in order to help current functioning. What is the Cost of Counseling? The St. Joseph Center is a private-pay therapy service. We do not bill public or private insurance companies even if an individual has mental health benefits. We can provide proof of service/sessions so that individuals can pursue reimbursement on their own through their insurance company. Many insurance companies will reimburse individuals for “Out of Network” providers. The cost for a 75-minute initial assessment interview and a 60 minute regular session is $125.