Pastoral Counseling

Telecounseling is a term used to describe the provision of health care services, specifically those related to mental health, through electronic means. Telecounseling offers a secure and convenient way to receive clinical counseling services.

MSMC utilizes a HIPAA-compliant system called, Spruce Health, for phone sessions. Clients can download the Spruce Health application on their phone or computer free of charge while working with MSMC. If they don’t want to download and utilize the additional features of the application, they can simply call their counselor’s Spruce phone number as a normal phone call and still be able to utilize the HIPAA-compliant phone system.

Studies have shown telecounseling to be as effective, in some cases more effective, than traditional face-to-face counseling. While you are not face-to-face with your counselor, and therefore aspects of the relationship such as body language and facial expressions are not present, our experience shows that there are three major reasons why telecounseling is still as effective or more effective than traditional face-to-face counseling: first, there is better continuity due to the ease of engaging in counseling from anywhere through phone sessions; two, the anonymity one experiences over the phone, as well as being in the comfort of one’s own environment, allows for greater openness and therefore for progress to be achieved at a faster pace than in-person counseling; and three, there is greater availability through telecounseling to engage with a professional who shares your faith beliefs and with whom you can connect without worrying about distance.

Because pastoral counseling does not include a mental health diagnosis and is not regulated by state licensure laws like clinical counseling, it is not reimbursable through health insurance plans. The benefits of this approach to receiving counseling are that pastoral counseling can therefore provide increased privacy, confidentiality, and autonomy in relation to the counseling experience, as well as the provision of an authentically Catholic pastoral counseling experience—that is not limited by state licensure laws and allows the flexibility of providing services throughout the country and world. This allows individuals seeking an authentic Catholic approach to counseling to receive these services despite the common lack of availability in their area or state.

Signing up for pastoral counseling is easy! You can reach out through our contact page here.

Once we receive your request, MSMC will respond within 2-3 business days with further instructions about how to set up a free 15-minute consultation as well as available session times if you are ready to schedule your initial session. This initial reach out will also include information related to intake forms and payment.

After your first session, your counselor will schedule follow up sessions directly with you.

We ask for a 24-hour notice of rescheduling and/or cancellation for a scheduled session. While emergencies are an exception, all other late-reschedules and/or cancellations will result in the client being responsible for the entire session fee. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to the client and is held exclusively for them, keeping another person in need of counseling from being able to schedule that session time.  

Payment information—a debit or credit card—is required to be on file in order to ensure payment for services. This can be gathered via email, over the phone, or via MSMC’s electronic health record (EHR).

The EHR MSMC utilizes, SimplePractice, allows a secure link to be sent to your email where you can securely add your payment information. Sessions are automatically billed after taking place via SimplePractice.

Attending a session is easy! All you need is a phone and/or computer and internet connection. Your counselor will provide their work phone number prior to your first session, which will be the same number utilized throughout your counseling relationship. You will be able to call them at the time of your scheduled session. If a video session is being conducted, a link will be sent to your email from our EHR, SimplePractice, before the start of your session.

While you can attend a session from anywhere a consistent, clear phone signal exists, we recommend finding a quiet, peaceful, and confidential environment within your home where you can focus without distraction. Headphones can be beneficial, but are not required.

The platforms MSMC utilizes for its services are HIPAA-compliant, and therefore provide for privacy and confidentiality on our end.

However, the environment is important in telecounseling. While your counselor will be in a private, confidential space, we recommend also attending your sessions from a quiet, comfortable, and private space to ensure privacy and confidentiality on your end.

Telecounseling may not be suitable for all situations. If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts or facing any other urgent threat to your life or health, or actively engaging in substance use, it’s highly recommended to seek in-person counseling or contact emergency services immediately.

Pastoral counseling and clinical counseling are similar in many ways, and your experience as a client will be as well. The largest difference is that pastoral counseling focuses less on mental illness and the diagnosis of mental illness. Rather, pastoral counseling focuses more on deepening one’s relationship with God as the Healer and Giver of Life, and aligning one’s personal actions and relationships to embody those of the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and Her traditions. In pastoral counseling, it is through living a virtuous life that the foundation from which mental health and wellbeing is sought. While clinical counseling through MSMC also incorporates these elements into its counseling, it is not a common approach in secular clinical counseling.

The provision of pastoral counseling allows for MSMC to provide an authentically Catholic approach to mental health and wellbeing throughout the world without the limitations of state licensure. This is primarily why clinical counseling is only offered in the state of Wisconsin and pastoral counseling is offered worldwide. These two approaches serve the larger and ultimate goal of making Catholic counseling and access to Catholic therapists available to people around the world.