Wendy is one of the pre-eminent online therapists in the nation. She was one of the first counselors to introduce online therapy services in the US and has expanded her practice through the addition of other online-based therapists to reach more individuals nationally and internationally. Through her innovative use of technology and upbeat personality, Wendy is able to connect with clients in unique and engaging ways to help them meet their counseling goals. Wendy’s counseling approach is based on her belief in “empowering clients to thrive, not just survive.”
Since 1999, Marilyn has dedicated her career to working with couples and families. She has successfully worked with a variety of individual, couple and family issues such as infidelity, ineffective communication, conflict management issues, sexual issues, divorce management, anger, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-esteem, grief, rape, attention deficit disorders, sleep issues, parenting struggles, blended family issues, incest, family of origin issues, family conflict, etc.
Emma Flores is an upbeat, engaging, encouraging, and enthusiastic therapist on the Thrive for Life team. She brings her client-centered and evidence-based approach to each session as she engages the client in reaching his or her unique therapeutic goals.
With great compassion, motivation, and a positive attitude, Kelli Jones, LSW is committed to helping others. She understands that life can be difficult and wants to support you as you walk through your journey. When you take care of yourself first, you are better able to care for others and be happier and more successful in your life. She will work together with you as you take steps toward your own personal journey of healing and change.
Lindsey is a Master Life Coach who has a passion for helping individuals and families. She is passionate about helping clients overcome personal adversity and reach their life and health goals through guidance and accountability. Lindsey’s areas of speciality include: lifestyle change, work/life balance, stress management, exercise management, health and nutrition as well as pre and/or postpartum adjustment.
Indya Peoples brings 14 years of experience working with kids, teens, adults, and families to Thrive for Life Counseling. Indya recognizes that it takes strength to seek out assistance, and she is passionate about being a part of the change process to help clients become the best version of themselves.
Jill is the front office administrator for Thrive for Life. With a history in mental health billing and administration, Jill is the friendly and knowledgeable team member who answers your phone calls and emails. From scheduling your first appointment to helping you with paperwork, superbills, or rescheduling, Jill will be your go-to team member!
Wendy Galyen
LCSW, BC-TMH
Wendy is one of the pre-eminent online therapists in the nation. She was one of the first counselors to introduce online therapy services in the US and has expanded her practice through the addition of other online-based therapists to reach more individuals nationally and internationally. Through her innovative use of technology and upbeat personality, Wendy is able to connect with clients in unique and engaging ways to help them meet their counseling goals. Wendy’s counseling approach is based on her belief in “empowering clients to thrive, not just survive.”
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board Certified Telemental Health Provider with 18 years of experience, Wendy is uniquely able to meet the needs of individuals, couples, families, and children. With a good rapport and regular interaction, clients are able to make efficient progress in online counseling. Wendy’s personal counseling style is conversational, empathetic, non-judgmental, compassionate and individualized.
In addition to her online private practice, Wendy is actively involved in continuing education and higher education. As an adjunct faculty member and internship supervisor, she is able to train students at several universities. Wendy also remains well-versed in research surrounding counseling theory and publishes and presents this research in textbooks, journals, periodicals, and at national conferences.
As you prepare for your first session with Wendy, grab a warm beverage & cozy blanket. Wendy will be there with her favorite french press coffee or green tea and Thrive for Life’s therapy dog, Stella, who joins Wendy for every session.
Wendy believes that “we all need help and support at different times in our lives, and it takes courage to begin this process.” In addition, she notes that “it is an honor to walk through this journey with each person.”
Wendy has been featured in many periodicals to showcase the importance of online counseling and how her unique counseling platform has helped hundreds of clients. In addition, Wendy is a prolific and often sought after writer in local and national publications where she shares her insights on various mental health topics.
“Wendy's ability to connect with clients quickly, making them feel safe and heard is one of her greatest strengths. She and her practice were forerunners in virtual therapy - pre-Covid. I highly recommend her and her team.” -- Alyssa M Johnson, LCSW
April 2022
“Wendy is a very skilled and thoughtful clinician. She brings much wisdom, curiosity and extensive training to her work with her clients. At Thrive for Life Counseling, Wendy has created a warm environment focused on promoting safety and healing.” -- Randi L. Paris
May 2020
“I valued every minute of my work with Wendy and am grateful I found her! She’s thoughtful, upbeat, articulate, vibrant, knowledgeable, and warm. I felt deeply understood in our sessions and extremely supported. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for an exceptional and compassionate therapist!”
-- Tiffany Goles of Resilient Hearts Counseling
Dec 2019
“Wendy offers online therapy at affordable prices. She is passionate about helping others struggling with anxiety issues, life transitions, and relationships.”
-- Jennifer Levart of Northwest Counseling, Inc.
Marilyn Verbiscer
LMFT, BC-TMH
Since 1999, Marilyn has dedicated her career to working with couples and families. She has successfully worked with a variety of individual, couple and family issues such as infidelity, ineffective communication, conflict management issues, sexual issues, divorce management, anger, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-esteem, grief, rape, attention deficit disorders, sleep issues, parenting struggles, blended family issues, incest, family of origin issues, family conflict, etc.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Master of Science degree in Child Development and Family Studies from Purdue University. Marilyn is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the states of Indiana and Illinois, a Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), an AAMFT Approved Supervisor and a Certified Gottman Seven Principles Leader.
Marilyn is a member of Alpha Chi National College Honor Society and a charter member of the Omega Chapter of Delta Kappa, an international marriage and family therapy honor society. She is also a past member of the Indiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the Illinois Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a past Board Member and Region Representative for the Indiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
Marilyn has published and presented nationally and internationally on the topics of infidelity, sexuality, family therapy, ethics, adolescence, gang behavior and residential care. She has also taught at Purdue University and Illinois Institute of Technology and is an independent supervision consultant.
Currently, Marilyn provides individual therapy, pre-marital counseling, and couples therapy. Marilyn accepts some insurance plans including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Oxford, and United.
Healing from the Trauma of Infidelity: Help Clients Rebuild Trust and Find Forgiveness After an Affair - A manual for counselors by Marilyn Verbiscer, LMFT, BC-TMH
Emma Flores is an upbeat, engaging, encouraging, and enthusiastic therapist on the Thrive for Life team. She brings her client-centered and evidence-based approach to each session as she engages the client in reaching his or her unique therapeutic goals.
Emma has extensive experience working with youth and young adults and especially enjoys clients working with clients who are 18-25 years old as they navigate college and transition into the workforce and beyond.
Emma is trilingual in English, Spanish, and Korean.
In addition to giving her dog the best life possible, Emma enjoys pottery, watercolor painting, and cultural festivals in her neighborhood.
Based in Chicago, Emma is licensed to see clients in the state of Illinois with Indiana and Florida to soon be added. She provides services via video, phone, & email. Currently, Emma provides individual therapy for those in adolescence through adulthood.
Kelli Jones
LCSW
With great compassion, motivation, and a positive attitude, Kelli Jones, LSW is committed to helping others. She understands that life can be difficult and wants to support you as you walk through your journey. When you take care of yourself first, you are better able to care for others and be happier and more successful in your life. She will work together with you as you take steps toward your own personal journey of healing and change.
Kelli’s style is client driven and future focused. She takes a mindful approach to therapy while using the strengths perspective and cognitive behavioral therapy to help individuals navigate through their challenges. She offers a safe and unbiased environment as individuals journey through the process of developing a healthier and happier sense of self. She believes it is important to treat everyone as a unique individual who is deserving of kindness and support during difficult times.
Kelli Jones, LSW has dedicated her career to the field of social work. She has been a staunch advocate for individuals with disabilities and has worked closely supporting these individuals, as well as their families. Most recently Kelli has worked in the school system supporting children and their social and emotional needs. She has successfully worked with individuals on conflict management issues, anger management, self-esteem, trauma, parenting struggles, and overall self-regulation skills to name a few. She also has previous experience working within a clinical hospital and rehabilitation setting.
Kelli received her Bachelor of Arts from Butler University and her Masters of Social Work from Indiana University. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Indiana.
Lindsey is a Master Life Coach who has a passion for helping individuals and families. She is passionate about helping clients overcome personal adversity and reach their life and health goals through guidance and accountability. Lindsey’s areas of speciality include: lifestyle change, work/life balance, stress management, exercise management, health and nutrition as well as pre and/or postpartum adjustment. Through work with Lindsey, clients gain personal acceptance in the midst of difficult relationships and/or life circumstances, increased belief in themselves, improved physical and mental health, etc.
Lindsey received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports and Recreation Management followed by her Master of Arts in Organizational Management with a specialization in Organizational Leadership. Lindsey is also a certified Master Life Coach with specialization in goal success, happiness, life purpose, and professional purpose. Lindsey is able to work with clients worldwide.
Indya Peoples
LCSW
Indya Peoples brings 14 years of experience working with kids, teens, adults, and families to Thrive for Life Counseling. Indya recognizes that it takes strength to seek out assistance, and she is passionate about being a part of the change process to help clients become the best version of themselves.
Indya genuinely cares about each client’s story and is passionate about helping others write their next chapter. Indya is authentic, direct, nurturing, and compassionate. Through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy strategies, Indya is able to help clients overcome negative thought patterns that contribute to anxiety and depression. Indya is especially passionate about trauma and grief-focused care. She also has extensive experience working with the juvenile justice system and restorative justice programs.
Indya received her Masters of Social Work from Indiana University. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Indiana. Indya is also a clinical supervisor for the Indiana Department of Children.
Through video, phone, and email-based counseling, our team of counselors can help you express emotions, process situations, and make progress toward your individual goals. Online therapy has been growing in popularity in recent years and has shown research-based therapeutic gains. Online counseling can be especially helpful as it allows for frequent interaction and
does not require a trip to an office or waiting several weeks for a follow-up appointment.
Online counseling is convenient for college students, business professionals, stay at home moms, couples, retirees, etc. Could this counseling style be helpful to you as well?
Online Counseling Options:
Email Counseling
Through a secure and encrypted email portal, conversational messages can be exchanged. Through this medium, an initial needs assessment will be completed. From there, counseling goal(s) are outlined and then you are able to work through ideas, strategies, homework, etc to reach your counseling goals. These emails act like counseling sessions and tend to be very conversational while also educational. It is also helpful to be able to look back at past messages for reference in the future. Email sessions are convenient because you can write whenever is best for your schedule with a guaranteed response within 24 hours Monday - Friday. Clients tend to do email therapy in either a one week or monthly blocks of time.
Video Sessions
Through secure video conferencing software, you are able to connect face-to-face in a traditional counseling format from the comfort of your home, office, or dorm room. Through this medium, an initial needs assessment is completed and counseling goals are developed. From there, ideas, strategies, and homework can be discussed in follow up video sessions together. Video sessions tend to take place weekly or every other week.
Phone Sessions
Through a secure phone line, phone counseling sessions can be scheduled and take place from the comfort of your home, office, or dorm room. Through this medium, an initial needs assessment is completed and counseling goals are developed. From there, ideas, strategies, and homework can be discussed in follow up phone sessions together. Phone sessions tend to take place weekly or every other week.
Couples Counseling Sessions
Marilyn Verbiscer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a Certified Gottman Trained Therapist with over 20 years of experience. She does amazing work with couples as she is able to bring 40 years of Gottman relationship research to the session. In addition, she is able to offer the Gottman Relationship Checkup Assessment (a research-based, confidential, and HIPAA compliant 480 question quiz for both you and your partner that then provides a 50 page report with strengths, weaknesses, and areas for work/improvement). The initial couples session is 75 minutes long to allow sufficient time for Marilyn to get to know both of you and gain a verbal history of your relationship. From there, Marilyn will schedule an individual session with each partner to assess needs, and then come back together to set goals and work together as a couple. Follow-up sessions are 60 minutes in length.
Life Coaching
A life coach is a certified wellness professional who supports individuals toward progress in their lives and overall greater fulfillment. A life coach helps clients to clarify their goals, identify challenges, and develop strategies to overcome these areas and reach goals quickly and efficiently. Life coaching differs from counseling because therapy focuses on mental health while life coaching focuses on goals. With therapy, you will work toward mental and emotional healing. With life coaching, your work will focus on setting and achieving goals to improve areas of your life. Coaching is available via phone, video, and email at Thrive depending upon what best meets your scheduling needs.
What is a Life Coach?
Personal Diversity
Postpartum
Belief in Oneself
Life Style Change
Clinical Supervision
Clinical Supervision
Thrive for Life Counseling is excited to be offering clinical individual supervision, group supervision and consultation to mental health professionals via telesupervision with Marilyn Verbiscer LMFT. Marilyn is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor who has been practicing since 1999. Thrive offers clinical supervision to students, pre-licensed master level therapists and those with an associates license. Thrive also offers clinical consultation for therapists with a license so there is no need to practice in isolation.
Marilyn’s orientation to supervision can best be described as a cognitive behavioral approach and solution focused. When supervising a couples case, she uses Gottman Method Couples Therapy.
If you have any questions or are interested in clinical supervision or consultation, please complete the Thrive contact form.
Are you interested in starting your own online therapy practice? Or, are you thinking about adding online services to your existing counseling practice?
Wendy Galyen, owner of Thrive for Life Counseling, LLC., has provided online practice building consultation services for counselors across the United States to help them build HIPAA compliant, ethical, and legal practices. These services are provided via video, phone, or email - whichever modality works best for your needs. There are no commitments or contracts. Instead, you simply schedule sessions as you need them to build and scale your online practice.
Consulting Investment
Plan
Description
Price
Phone or Video Consulting
60 minutes
250.00
Phone or Video Consulting
4 Session Package (60 min each)
800.00
Email Consulting
Month of email consultation
300.00
Scheduling
To schedule a 15 minute phone or video chat to discuss if consultation services are the right fit for you, simply book an appointment here: CLICK TO SCHEDULE
Testimonials
“Thank you so much Wendy! You are a gem and I see why you are having so much success. I am going to work on this asap. I look forward to our next session.
-- Lia Huynh California
May 28, 2020
“I valued every minute of my work with Wendy and am grateful I found her! She’s thoughtful, upbeat, articulate, vibrant, knowledgeable, and warm. I felt deeply understood in our sessions and extremely supported. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for an exceptional and compassionate therapist!”
-- Tiffany Goles of Resilient Hearts Counseling
Building an Online Counseling
Practice in 6 Easy Steps
Online Counseling Practice
Building Resources
STEP 1 - State Laws in Regard to Telemental Health
Information and resources provided on this website are for educational purposes only. Contact your liability insurance company, state board of licensing, accountant, attorney, etc. for personalized information for your unique situation.
Investment
Thrive for Life Counseling is a hybrid practice with some therapists accepting insurance and others who are private pay. Some insurance plans including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Oxford, and United are accepted.
Private Pay Pricing
Insurance
Thrive for Life began as a private pay practice that did not accept insurance. Why did Thrive opt to not accept insurance? With insurance, therapists are required to submit a clinical diagnosis which remains on your insurance record permanently. In addition, insurance companies can dictate specifics about your treatment (ie. number of sessions or length of time in treatment). And, you are limited in your choice of in-network therapists. Finding the right therapist to meet your needs is the most important factor in determining therapeutic success and should not be limited by insurance.
However, Thrive also wants to ensure that all clients have access to mental health services without the cost becoming a hindrance. With this in mind, Marilyn Verbiscer and Emma Flores both accept some insurance plans including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Oxford, and United.
If you opt for private pay services, Thrive can provide a receipt with appropriate details for you to request reimbursement from your insurance carrier under Out of Network Benefits if applicable. Many clients are able to obtain some reimbursement from their insurance provider for mental health services.
Clinical Supervision
Plan
Description
Price
Supervision
Grad Student
100.00
Supervision
Masters Level
125.00
Supervision
Licensed Assoicate Therapist
150.00
Consultation
Licensed Therapist
175.00
Group Supervision
Split between members
200.00
Good Faith Estimate
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who do not 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, and hospital fees.
You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
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 800-985-3059.
Payment
Payments are securely processed through Zelle and Square Invoice. Thrive accepts payments via checking account, credit card, HSA (Health Savings Account) and FSA (Flexible Spending Account). Payments must be made 24 hours prior to the start of the session.
Cancellation Policy
The time reserved for your session is dedicated to you. If you are unable to attend a session, please make sure you cancel at least 24 hours beforehand. Otherwise, you will be charged for the full rate of the session. If you are late to an appointment, you will still be seen but please be aware that your appointment will still end at the scheduled time and the full fee will be charged.
Crisis Information
If you are in a crisis or if you or any other person may be in danger - do not use this site. These resources can provide you with immediate help.
United States
Emergency: 911
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1- 800-799-7233
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Hopeline Network: 1-800-SUICIDE (800-784-2433)
Visit the Thrive For Life Square store to purchase all our offerings!
The Gottman Relationship Checkup Assessment
Thrive is proud to offer the Gottman Relationship Checkup Assessment - a research-based, confidential, and HIPAA compliant 480 question quiz for both you and your partner to take on your own time that then provides a 50 page report with strengths, weaknesses, and areas for work/improvement. A therapeutic summary is also provided.
The Gottman Assessment is $150.
If you would like to purchase and schedule your own Gottman Assessment click the link below
Healing from the Trauma of Infidelity: Help Clients Rebuild Trust and Find Forgiveness After an Affair - A manual for counselors by Marilyn Verbiscer, LMFT, BC-TMH
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