Common questions about therapy at Allora Rise
Allora Rise is a therapy practice in Wilmington, North Carolina. These are the questions our team frequently answers on the phone in a normal week, about cost, insurance, first sessions, confidentiality, and getting started. If yours isn't here, email info@allorarise.com or call or text 910-408-2302 and ask.
or book a free fifteen-minute consultation first
WRITTEN WITH
Stefanie Roback, LCSW, LCAS, Founder
Getting started
What can I expect in a first session?
Mostly it is your therapist getting to know you, and you getting to decide whether this feels right. Your therapist will introduce themselves, cover confidentiality and its limits, and give you a real chance to ask questions before anything else starts.
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Then they will ask what brought you in and why now. Most of our therapists say some version of the same thing about the first hour: the goal is not to solve anything or uncover everything, it is for you to leave feeling heard.
The first appointment does feel more formal than the ones after it.
What if I do not know what to talk about?
That is one of the most common ways people arrive for a therapy session, and it is not a problem to solve before booking.
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You do not need a diagnosis, a tidy explanation, or a list. Working out what is actually going on is part of the work rather than a prerequisite for starting it.
What if I am not sure what my goals are?
Normal, and not a barrier. Many people know they want something to be different without being able to name what. Your therapist will help you get specific, usually by asking a version of the most useful question in therapy: if this worked, what would your life actually look like?
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Goals often set in early sessions are a starting point, not a contract. They change as more comes to light, and that is expected.
Do things need to be bad before I come?
No. Most of our clients are managing, often visibly well, and privately worn down.
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Waiting until things are bad enough is one of the most common reasons people delay, and it makes the work harder than it needed to be. If something is affecting how you sleep, how you feel about yourself, or how you are with the people you love, that is enough of a reason to start.
How soon can I get an appointment?
It depends on the therapist, and each therapist’s page shares availability and whether she is taking clients right now.
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If your first choice is waitlisted, call or text 910-408-2302 and we will tell you who has availability and can see you sooner, rather than leaving you to wait by default.
Money and insurance
Do you take my insurance? What if you are out of network?
Allora Rise Counseling and Therapy is in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare, and we are a certified Tricare provider, though not in-network with Tricare. We also see self-pay clients.
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Which plans a therapist can bill depends on the therapist, because each one is approved individually rather than as a practice. Our team attempts to confirm all of this before your first appointment, so you are not finding out afterward.
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If we are out of network for you, several therapists provide a superbill on request, which you submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Several also offer a sliding scale. Ask when you get in touch.
How much does it cost?
If you are using insurance, your cost is your copay or coinsurance, and we verify your benefits before your first appointment so you know the figure in advance. Several therapists offer a sliding scale, and several provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement.
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That first appointment is billed at its own rate, because it covers intake paperwork, history, and what you want out of therapy before any of the work begins.
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Private pay rates, for clients not using insurance or a sliding scale, are shared below.
Email info@allorarise.com, text or call 910-408-2302 and we will check your benefits and give you a real figure.
How long is each session?
Your first appointment is 60 minutes. After that, sessions are 45 or 60 minutes. The length of time you book is something you and your therapist decide together, based on what you are working on.
Do I need a referral? Can you prescribe medication?
Our team verifies your benefits before your first appointment and no, you typically do not need a referral.
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Our therapists do not prescribe medication. Therapists and licensed clinical social workers are not prescribers. If medication is worth considering, your therapist will talk with you about it and can coordinate with your primary care provider or a psychiatric prescriber, with your written permission.
Choosing a therapist
How do I know which therapist to pick?
Every therapist also offers a free fifteen-minute phone consultation, and you can book one online with a specific person before committing.
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Or you can email or call us for help, where we will ask about insurance first, since that narrows things immediately, then about what you are dealing with, and then about what you want in a therapist. That last question matters more than people expect. Some of our therapists are direct and will challenge you. Some are gentler and will wait. Some assign homework, some do not. Some use humor freely. We know our team well enough to assist with matching rather than leave you guessing.
Can I switch therapists if it is not the right fit?
Yes, and you will not be talked out of it or made to explain yourself. Fit matters more to outcomes than almost anything else, and a mismatch is information rather than a failure.
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Tell your therapist, or email or call the office. We will move you to someone else in the practice, and your therapist will help make that transition useful rather than awkward. Several of our therapists say outright that if they are not the right person, they will help you find who is.
Do all of your therapists use the same approach?
No, deliberately. Our therapists are trained across Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), exposure and response prevention (ERP), Brainspotting, Internal Family Systems, somatic and nervous system work, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), motivational interviewing, play therapy, and narrative therapy.
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What they hold in common is that the approach follows the client rather than the therapist’s preference. Several will offer you a choice between methods and explain the difference, on the grounds that having some say in how you work makes the work go better.
Can your therapists help me if I have struggled for years?
Yes, and a large share of our clients are in exactly that position, including people who have been in therapy before and finished it feeling much the same as when they started.
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Something lasting a long time is usually a sign that the method has not fit the problem, rather than a sign the person cannot change. Talk therapy alone, for instance, frequently does not shift trauma that is held in the body, which is why several of our therapists are trained in EMDR, Brainspotting, and somatic work. Abby Alldread is the Brainspotting-trained therapist here. If you have tried before, tell your therapist what did and did not help. Most of ours ask that in the first session.
How therapy works here
How often would I come?
That is decided between you and your therapist. Most clients begin weekly or every other week and reduce the frequency over time, though it depends on what you need and why you are here. Starting weekly is what tends to build momentum early on.
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Your therapist will talk with you about pacing instead of deciding it for you.
Is everything I say confidential?
Your privacy is incredibly important to us. What you share in therapy is confidential, and our therapists follow strict ethical and legal standards to protect your personal information.
In most situations, what you discuss with your therapist stays between you and your therapist. There are a few circumstances in which a therapist may be legally or ethically required to share information, such as concerns about immediate safety, suspected abuse or neglect, or when required by law. Your therapist will review these limits with you at the beginning of therapy and is always happy to answer questions about confidentiality.
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At Allora Rise, we want therapy to feel like a safe, private space where you can be honest, vulnerable, and fully yourself.
Do you offer virtual therapy?
Yes. All of our therapists offer telehealth throughout North Carolina, and we are licensed for telehealth in North Carolina only.
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It works. Skills-based work translates without difficulty, and even EMDR adapts to a virtual session. All three of our EMDR trained therapists offer it remotely.
What is the difference between your two locations?
Which therapists work there, mainly. The care is the same.
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Wrightsville Beach is at 530 Causeway Drive Suite A2. The Cargo District office is at 2202 Wrightsville Ave Suite 111 in Wilmington. Both offer early morning, daytime, and some evening appointments, depending on the therapist.
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Both take calls and texts at 910-408-2302, and both are closed weekends. If parking, hours, or the commute is a factor, tell us and we will factor it into the match.
Who we see, and what we specialize in
Do you provide therapy for teens, children, and adults?
Adults are the majority of our work, and every therapist here sees adults 18 and up.
For younger clients the range varies by therapist. Delaney Dow sees children from age 10 up. Mackenzie Pereira sees teens 16 and up. Most of our therapists see adults only, so tell us the age and we will point you to the right person.
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With a client under 18, parents or guardians consent to treatment and are kept informed on progress and any safety concerns, while the young person keeps enough privacy to actually engage. Our therapists who work with teens set that out with everyone in the room at the start, and typically meet with the young person and the parents both together and separately.
My child is in therapy. What will I be told, and what stays between them and their therapist?
You consent to treatment, and you are kept informed on progress and the treatment plan as needed, and always any safety concerns. The day-to-day content of sessions belongs to your child. That line gets spoken to in the first session, with everyone in the room, rather than left for you or your child to wonder.
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Nothing gets shared with you without your child knowing first. If something comes up that would help you to know but is not a safety matter, our therapists talk to your child about it before saying anything, and often give them the option to tell you themselves with support. Abuse or neglect is the exception, because it has to be reported, and that process is handled collaboratively with everyone kept informed.
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With teens, the young person signs consent paperwork alongside you. That is deliberate. A teenager who is only there because a parent sent them will not get much out of it, and our therapists would rather find that out in the first fifteen minutes than the fifth session.
You can reach out at any point to check in, and you can ask for an individual meeting. Delaney Dow and Mackenzie Pereira each work with clients under 18, and each will walk you through exactly how they handle this before you book.
Do you see couples or families?
Couples, yes. Stefanie Roback sees couples, both premarital and already married, and uses the SYMBIS assessment for premarital work. She is trained in Gottman and emotionally focused couples work.
Most of our therapists work one-to-one, and several work with family systems and relationship patterns in individual therapy, which is different from seeing a family together. If you are looking for family therapy specifically, get in touch and we will be honest about whether we are the right practice.
Do you offer EMDR?
Yes. Three therapists here are EMDR trained: Shaina Frank, Jax Sullivan, and Yolandi Rause. All three offer it in person and by telehealth.
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EMDR is billed as a standard therapy session rather than as a separate service, so insurance coverage works the same way. One thing worth knowing if it sounds intimidating: you do not have to describe everything that happened for EMDR to work.
Do you offer faith-based therapy?
Yes, on request, and it is always client-led. Ten therapists here offer faith-integrated counseling: Yolandi Rause, Jax Sullivan, Delaney Dow, Maddy Dombrowski, Abby Alldread, Margaret Kotz, Stefanie Roback, Anna Salino-Hugg, Alexandra Mueller, and Rachael Hodge.
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It means licensed clinical therapy that makes room for your faith when you ask for it, using your lens rather than your therapist’s. For some clients that means prayer or scripture in session. For others it simply means a therapist who understands that faith is part of who they are. Nothing about faith enters a session unless you bring it, and you can change your mind in either direction at any point.
How does faith-based counseling differ from secular therapy?
The therapy itself does not change. Every therapist here uses the same evidence-based approaches, whether or not faith comes into the room. The difference is that your faith can be part of the conversation instead of something you set aside, and it never becomes the treatment method in place of clinical care.
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There is also room for doubt, and for religious and spiritual trauma, which several of our therapists treat as a clinical concern rather than a lapse. Tell us when you schedule and we will match you accordingly.
Crisis
What happens if I need someone after hours?
We do not answer calls or emails outside office hours. If it is an emergency, call 911, or reach IFS mobile crisis 24 hours a day at 1-866-437-1821.
Do you offer crisis counseling? What if I am in crisis right now?
No. Allora Rise is an outpatient practice with scheduled appointments during office hours. We do not have an after-hours line, we do not provide emergency or crisis services, and we are not able to take on a client whose immediate need is crisis care.
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If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day. In our area you can also reach IFS mobile crisis 24 hours a day at 1-866-437-1821, or go to your nearest emergency department.
Still have a question?
Email info@allorarise.com or call or text 910-408-2302. You can ask what your coverage actually looks like, who has availability, and which therapist fits what you’re describing.