Reading Counseling Services

Counselor in Wyomissing, near Reading, Shillington, Exeter, Bernville, Birdsboro, Blandon, Douglassville,Temple, Mohnton, Sinking Spring
Opening at 11:00 AM
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Updates

Posted on Dec 22, 2020

Serving you safely via telehealth during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Insurances accepted for Telehealth. Our office location is currently CLOSED.

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Posted on Dec 22, 2020

Meet John, our new telehealth counselor! We are excited to have him join our group! Schedule your virtual therapy appointment today with John!

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Posted on Dec 22, 2020

Welcome John! He is a licensed professional counselor and is accepting new clients. He is a certified advanced drug and alcohol counselor. His professional interests also include other forms of compulsive disorders, as well as depressive and anxiety disorders, anger management needs, and adjustme...

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Posted on May 7, 2020

Did you know that a lot of insurances are covering copays during this time using telemental health? Call us today to set up your first session! We are currently offering phone or video sessions only.

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Testimonials

9 months ago
Michael is fantastic. He really sits with you in every issue you present. He always made me comfortable and relaxed to open up and be myself. Very accommodating in every single way.
- Megan D
9 months ago
Mike is kind, caring, and personable. He made it easy to talk and feel comfortable for me. He oriented me well to the counseling process, as my first counselor.
- Garrett P
11 months ago
During this uncertain time having someone consistent and reliable has been essential for me. With Telehealth communication can be seem impersonal but that is not the case. Thank you for being there, being caring, and just listening when others haven't been able to understand what I am going through.
- Carola R
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Reading Counseling Services, LLC

Easy, accessible counseling in the comfort of your own home! Contact us today to schedule a telemental health counseling session by phone or videoconference with one of our licensed professional counselors or licensed clinical social worker. 

Telemental health services are available for people residing in or visiting the state of Pennsylvania. Insurances accepted. 

Telehealth counseling refers to counseling services that are provided through the Internet. Most often, virtual counseling occurs with the use of a web camera and the client and counselor interact over the Internet instead of in a face-to-face situation. Other terms for virtual counseling include cyberspace counseling, Web counseling, tele-counseling (with the use of cell phones that have the capacity to use FaceTime like applications), and even Internet counseling. 

Some of the Advantages to Virtual Counseling Include:
  • Virtual counseling provides an accessible medium for clients who are interested in counseling services. People that live in rural or remote areas may not have counselors close to them and can benefit from the use of virtual counseling services. People that cannot readily get out of their home due to a disability or some other hindrance can also benefit from virtual counseling services.
  • There is some research that suggests that teenagers and children may be more comfortable with virtual counseling than with traditional counseling sessions performed in person.
  • Virtual counseling creates an opportunity for therapists to extend their services to more clients and reach larger geographical areas.
  • Virtual counseling offers convenience for clients who have busy schedules.
  • People who have anxiety disorders like phobias or agoraphobia may find virtual counseling services easier to engage in.
  • Because therapists that engage in virtual counseling have less overhead (e.g., no office rent, traveling expenses, etc.) virtual counseling services may be more affordable.
  • Virtual counseling services may provide more anonymity to people as clients do not have to attend a clinic where they are seen by others. This can also reduce the social stigma associated with going to therapy or counseling sessions.

How You Can Benefit from Virtual CounselingThis is how virtual counseling with our licensed professional counselors can benefit you:
  • Eliminating the issues with finding the office, waiting for your appointment, and then driving home afterwards – in short  virtual counseling eliminates many of the inconveniences that you dislike about going to a doctor or dentist appointment.
  • Counseling sessions can be scheduled to fit your busy schedule much easier.
  • You can focus on just what you need to work on instead of worrying about other issues.
  • The communication between you and your counselor remains focused as you interact with the counselor over your internet connection.
  • You are more likely to be far more relaxed at home than you would be in an office environment. This can facilitate the counseling process.
  • The counselor is able to personalize the sessions to fit your needs (or if you are in couples or family therapy the needs of your partner or family members) based on the interaction between you and the counselor. There is no wasted effort.
  • Sessions are totally private.  No one else needs to know that you are seeing a counselor.
  • In some cases sessions may be scheduled on short notice to accommodate potential emergencies.
  • Very often other clients in health care settings may have colds, influenza, or other illnesses that you might contract.  This is not the case with virtual counseling as you are in the safety of your own home.

ConclusionsVirtual counseling is a rapidly growing service that appears to have quite a bit of potential. There are advantages to virtual counseling and there are some potential problems associated with this service. You should make sure that you have a secure and reliable internet connection and that you be sure to schedule your sessions when you are able to participate in them.  Given that, virtual counseling can get you the assistance you need, when you need it, and on your own turf.  

Reading Counseling Services is a counseling practice consisting of well-diverse, licensed and professional counselors specializing in a variety of areas to assist the people of the community. Our focus is to provide collaborative, evidence-based care for those with psychological or behavior challenges. Our Reading Therapists meet with individuals, couples and families to address a variety of needs. 

Reading Counseling Therapists provide culturally-sensitive care and welcome people of all ages, ethnicities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. We respect your privacy and will keep your information confidential. Counseling sessions are available in our office, conveniently located in Wyomissing, Berks County, Pennsylvania. 

We service all people of Pennsylvania and our office in Berks County is easily accessible from towns and cities such as Reading, West Reading, Shillington, Kenhorst, Exeter, Bernville, Birdsboro, Blandon, Douglassville, Fleetwood, Leesport, Kutztown, Morgantown, Mohnton, Oley, Robesonia, Temple, Lenhartsville, Shoemakersville, Hamburg, Wernersville, and others.

If you are looking for a Wyomissing therapist, please call us at (888)76-THERAPY or (888)768-4372 to talk with a Reading Counseling Services counselor. Counseling sessions are by appointment only. We proudly serve the Reading PA community and surrounding areas. Reading Counseling Services currently offers same-week availability for new clients to be seen in our Wyomissing PA office. We offer evening and weekend sessions in addition to our normal business hours. Our email address is readingcounselingservices@gmail.com, but please remember that email is not a secure form of communication.  We accept private pay and most insurance plans. Please review the insurances that we accept on our Rates/Insurance page at https://readingcounselingservices.com/contact-us/.

What is Counseling?

Professional counseling involves a partnership or a collaborative effort between one or more clients and a professional counselor to assist the client(s) to identify solutions to certain types of problems or to reach goals. The issues addressed in counseling very often are producing significant levels of distress for the clients as well as leading to problems with their functioning. The difference between counseling and getting advice from friends or family is that a professional counselor is trained in understanding human behavior and in specific techniques to solve many different types of problems and can apply these techniques over different situations.

What Types of Problems Can I Address with my Wyomissing Counseling Therapist? https://readingcounselingservices.com/services/

The types of problems that professional Wyomissing counselors are trained to address can include: Learning skill building techniques (e.g., parental skill building, developing effective communication skills, academic skills, etc.). Addressing relationship issues. Increasing self-confidence and coping skills. Assisting people to overcome mental health issues and promote optimal mental health.

Don’t Only People with Mental Illnesses Get Into Counseling at Reading Counseling Services?

While Reading counselors do assist people with different types of mental illnesses, you do not need a mental health diagnosis in order to be involved in counseling. Many clients involved in counseling are addressing strengthening their personal relationships, developing new skills, and learning more effective ways to deal with stress or other daily issues.

I Heard that Research Proves that Therapy Doesn’t Work

This is one of the many myths regarding therapy. The truth is that the research demonstrates that therapy does work. This does not mean that everyone who goes into therapy will be successful; however, over the vast majority of situations counseling is successful in obtaining its goals and very often it is more successful in the long run than the use of medications or other approaches.

Isn’t Therapy Just Laying on the Couch, Talking about How You Feel, and Talking about Your Childhood?

No. Therapy is a collaborative relationship between the Reading counselor and client that requires both to work on specific issues. It is not a passive experience where you simply talk about how you feel or about issues that occurred in your childhood and you are suddenly “cured.”

How Long Does Therapy Last with a Reading Counseling Therapist?

Many people are still under the mistaken impression that therapy must last for years in order to be effective. In some cases this may be true, but the best case scenario is to continue therapy sessions until the problem that has brought you into therapy has been resolved and the issues resulting from the problem can be managed by you. However, insurance companies often put restrictions on the number of therapy sessions that one can receive coverage for and it is important to understand your insurance benefits and discuss this with the Reading therapist before receiving help.

Are There Different Types of Counseling at Reading Counseling Services?

Professional counseling can be used to address numerous issues and you can look at the types of issues that counseling can address in the services section. Basically there are two different types of counseling: individual counseling where one client meets with the counselor and works on the client’s problems and group counseling where two or more people meet with the counselor and address specific issues. There are different types of group counseling approaches that include: Group counseling is most often depicted as a situation where several different clients meet with the counselor to discuss specific issues. The clients in the group are typically not related to one another, but share a similar problem/issue. These types of specialized groups most often deal with one particular problem area such as problems with addiction, anger management, anxiety, depression, etc. and the clients in the group all have similar issues related to the topic that the group addresses. Family counseling is a type of group counseling where all the members of the group are family members. Family counseling is a useful approach to dealing with many different types of situations including developing stronger communication skills within the family, resolving family conflicts, working with issues with addiction, with eating disorders, and many other issues. Couples counseling or marital counseling occurs when the clients in the group are romantic partners. Couples counseling can address many different issues within the relationship including issues with addiction, trust issues, communication issues, dealing with resentment, and many other issues.

What Are some of the Advantages of Individual Counseling?

Engaging in individual counseling sessions offers several advantages: You are the sole focus of the counselor’s attention and your problems can be directly addressed. The counseling sessions are focused on your particular problems. You get feedback from the counselor that is directly designed for you. Individual sessions can be designed for your specific situation and entire session is devoted to your specific needs. Only you and your Wyomissing counselor know about the specifics of your issues and the goings-on in the counseling sessions; no one else can have access to them unless you allow the counselor to disclose information to someone. For the most part, you can move at your own pace and the counseling sessions are adjusted for you specifically. You can attend counseling sessions to suit your own schedule.

What Are Some Advantages to Group Counseling at Wyomissing Counseling Services?

Group counseling offers some specific advantages that may be attractive to some clients: Obviously family counseling and couples counseling may more effectively address relationship issues within the family (couple) and can better allow the family (couple) to work together on their specific issues compared to individual counseling. In general in groups where many different individuals are working on one specific issue one of the major advantages is the notion of universality: that you are not alone in your struggles and their other individuals like you that have similar problems. People in group counseling can learn from one another in addition to learning from the counselor. People in group sessions get a much broader perspective of the issues as they hear other people discuss issues or when they hear their partners or family members discuss their perspectives on these issues. This creates a better understanding of the entire situation. Clients in group sessions often develop a broader perspective regarding their own issue as a result of listening to others discuss similar problems/solutions.

Which Is Better Individual or Group Therapy with a Reading Counseling Therapist?

There is no one answer to the question of whether individual therapy or group therapy sessions are better. Instead, Reading counseling sessions should be designed to fit the needs of the clients in therapy. For people that are experiencing significant relationship problems, family or couples counseling may be more appropriate, but only if other members of the family (couple) are willing to attend therapy sessions. Parents that wish to learn more effective parenting skills may find that they need both parents and even the children involved in the sessions in order to get the maximum effectiveness from the sessions, but parents seeking to develop more effective parenting skills can also benefit from individual therapy. For other types of problems, where clients wish to remain relatively anonymous and work intensely on their own issues, individual therapy may be more suitable. The research that compares group counseling methods to individual counseling methods typically finds that both are effective, but that some types of problems may be easier to address with group therapy and others may be more effecti
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  • (888) 768-4372

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122 W Lancaster Avenue, Suite 104
Reading, PA 19607
United States

Business Hours

Mon:8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Tue:8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Wed:8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Thu:8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Fri:8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sat:9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sun:11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
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