INDIVIDUAL THERAPY 

I provide individual counseling to adults and adolescents (age 14+) in North Carolina using a telehealth platform and in-person at my office in West Jefferson, NC (located in Ashe County, about 40 minutes from Boone, NC). My clinical work is focused on anxiety, trauma, depression, and issues around neurodivergence (ADHD, level 1 autism, highly sensitive persons). I practice person-centered, polyvagal-informed talk therapy; exposure and response prevention (ERP) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and phobias; and brainspotting for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I am credentialed with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBS), Aetna (including the NC state health plan), United Healthcare, Medcost, and CBHA. 

To book an initial consultation, call 1-828-222-0183 or e-mail me at mark@markchrisingercounseling.com. 

INSURANCE AND FEES

Find insurance and fees information here. 

INABILITY TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES

I do not provide mental health crisis response services. I cannot do this for two main reasons: (1) I am a one-person practice and, therefore, incapable of providing 24/7 coverage; and (2) significant portions of my time are dedicated to providing direct care to clients, and I am unable to answer calls or respond to communications while doing so. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call 911 or access help through these resources, as these professionals are fully prepared to respond to your emergency or crisis. If you are an established client, please inform me of your situation as soon as it is safe to do so, and I will schedule a session or call with you within the same day if possible or as soon as possible.

HOW EFFECTIVE IS ONLINE THERAPY? 

Some people wonder how online or teletherapy compares to traditional, in-person therapy. Current research shows there is no significant difference in outcomes between in-person therapy and teletherapy (according to meta-analytic studies published in 2021 and 2022). This is consistent with my clinical experience. That being said, teletherapy is right for some people and not right for others. The biggest barriers to benefitting from teletherapy I've encountered with clients are: not having access to reliable internet, not having a private place to meet from, struggling to properly show up for a meeting that can technically be joined from anywhere (e.g., while driving, etc.), and difficulty taking seriously digital mediums of communication. If none of those things are an issue for you, teletherapy will probably work as well for you as in-person therapy. 

A STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY 

I believe it should go without saying that counseling is a profession that serves all people regardless of race, ethnicity, class, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability. Nonetheless, this is something that people have to wonder about every day, and it seems necessary to say that, yes, counseling is for all people of all kinds, no exceptions. 

I think it is worth further noting that diversity is a fundamental principle of life. All living beings are dependent on biodiversity to sustain life on Earth as we know it. This is clearly true within the human species as well. If it were adaptive to be exactly the same, nature would have made us so. The reality is that diversity, when combined with repetition of commonalities in the human experience, makes us more adaptive—more intelligent, more versatile, more creative, and stronger. Diversity is what has allowed us to develop from surviving as typical mammals and become what we are today. There is no breakthrough in knowledge, no creative genius, no advancement in human society that did not come from someone being, thinking, or perceiving differently from some defined norm. If we want to be the best species we can be—and if we just want to survive—diversity is one of the most important things for us to treasure. Without it, we set ourselves up for the decay and destruction that accompany inflexibility.