About Hopeful Heart Counseling
We equip you with the emotional tools that will lead you to a future full of hope and renewal.
Our Mission
Whether it’s past trauma, grief, work or relationship stress, our goal is for you to feel supported and equipped for whatever life brings. We will listen without judgment when you need an ear, speak from a clinical (non- opinion) based space when needed.
Get in touch
Hopeful Heart Counseling is dedicated to providing highest quality online counseling services at the comfort and convenience of our clients.
What to Expect
During your virtual sessions, our staff will provide as much care, support, understanding, and insights as you would expect from a face-to-face counseling setting. The difference is that virtual sessions give you the freedom to have the experience right from wherever you are.
We understand that it can be frightening to talk about the things that left you mentally or physically scarred. Know that talking about the experience does not make your struggles any more real to you than they already are.
At times, you might have thought it best to just forget about it all. You might have hidden behind the idea that if you don’t discuss what happened, the memory will soon fade. But your thoughts are still haunting you today.
Our counselors create a safe and private therapeutic setting to assist you in alleviating that emotional burden that you’re carrying. With consistent effort, those burdens will soon become your stepping stones as you overcome them and grow into your real life.
Although we draw on a variety of modalities to serve you best in the therapeutic process, we primarily use EMDR. Feel free to book a consultation with us to learn more about how EMDR can you help with your anxiety, grief, trauma, and more.
What We Do
Trained and experienced in helping our clients address various types of internal conflicts through a suite of carefully selected counseling services, our clinicians can help you improve the quality of your life.
Our focus areas of expertise include the following:
Grief
Depression
Anxiety
Trauma
Self Esteem
Parenting
Career Changes
Coping Skills
Divorce
FAQ’s
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We are a private pay company and are not in network with insurance.
Many of our clients who have out-of-network coverage request a superbill for each session that they then submit to insurance for reimbursement. Hopeful Heart Counseling does not communicate directly to insurance.
Before scheduling services with us, we recommend that you contact your carrier and see if pre-authorization is required for reimbursement – otherwise, they might not pay.
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We understand having to speak with someone honestly about personal feelings can feel intimidating.
While the stigma around therapy can often make it challenging or shameful for some people to ask for help, therapy has proven beneficial to all kinds of people – no matter their background.
Life is a journey and at some point everyone needs support on that journey, which is why Hopeful Heart Counseling is here to meet you wherever you are and walk with you every step of the way.
Yes it is true that therapy does not work with everyone 100% of the time, studies demonstrate that therapy is indeed generally helpful for approximately 80% of the people who seek help as opposed to those who do not (Asay & Lambert, 1999; Wampold, 2001).
If you’re serious about making a change in your life, you may find it worth a try. As for us, we want to see you thrive.
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Many people who have experienced trauma develop a very normal way of coping. Their approach is to block out or repress particularly painful memories.
But feelings are meant to be felt. More often than not, our distressing thoughts and memories may rise to the surface in disturbing ways when we try to repress them.
At Hopeful Heart Counseling, our primary tool is EMDR.
EMDR is a therapeutic approach that works to help you relieve the disturbance resulting from traumatic experiences. One way this is accomplished is by briefly recalling a vivid memory while engaging in EMDR processing via eye movements or taps.
This EMDR process continues until there is no distress in you when you recall that memory. You don’t have to discuss the details. Moreover, it is not always necessary to dig up buried memories to start the process of healing.
With us, you will be guided safely through a process of healing at a pace that feels safe and comfortable for you.
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Each person processes trauma differently, our counselors work to meet our clients where they are and collaborate with them to develop their treatment goals.
After your consultation, your therapist will begin the process to build skills and resources to use for the EMDR phase of therapy. Once beginning the therapeutic process, you may begin to notice shifts within 3-5 sessions. Some clients achieve their goals within 8-12 sessions and for those with complex or developmental trauma, it may be longer.
EMDR works best when used in conjunction with traditional therapy so you may want additional therapy sessions to process and integrate your experience.
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Our rate is $175/hr. (Sliding scale spots are currently full)
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Good Faith Estimate
You have the right to receive a “good faith estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost.
We equip you with the emotional tools that will lead you to a future full of hope and renewal.
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
* You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, hospital fees, and mental health services.
* You can ask your healthcare provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an appointment.
* If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill (please note, while this is the law, this is not applicable to our practice as our estimate is only for each session since we are unable to predict the length of therapy).
Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call (800) 368-1019.
You will receive a Good Faith Estimate through the client portal with your intake paperwork at the time of scheduling an appointment. If at any time during treatment you like to request another Good Faith Estimate, please contact us. A Good Faith estimate will be emailed to you within 24 hours.
Get more answers
If you have a pressing question that was not addressed here, feel free to call us at (813)-771-3001. We are eager to help you take your journey and finally experience release.
Ciara Helm, LCSW
Founder and Lead Therapist
Licensed in and proudly serving the state of Florida.
Ciara’s years of experience working with trauma and grief survivors led her to opening her private practice. Her extensive background and training in trauma work has positioned her to become a subject-expert in the diagnosis and or treatment of trauma, PTSD, grief, other trauma reactions (anger, depression, anxiety, relationship issues).
Prior to becoming an LCSW, Ciara worked as a licensed minister, granting her 10 years of additional professional experience working with people from all walks of life and supporting them with trauma-minded care.
After completing her graduate internship in Social Work with a specialized focus in Clinical Work, she provided years of trauma-focused support to a local human trafficking relief agency where she eventually became the Program Director. There, she crafted her skill and knowledge base in the treatment of trauma and PTSD by working with clients who had complex issues such as sexual trauma, childhood trauma, PTSD, grief, depression and anxiety.
She is trained in Eye-Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (EMDR), which is highly esteemed as the most effective evidence-based treatments for trauma and PTSD. Ciara continues to expand her skills and knowledge through research and the pursuit of additional certifications in evidence-based therapy techniques with which she can enhance her dedicated work of helping others.
Ciara’s Current Certifications
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
Certified Grief Professional