Your first session is a place to slow down and get oriented. We will talk about what is bringing you in, what has helped, what has not helped, and what you want to feel different in your life and in your body. Because AVOS Counseling Center is trauma-informed, we do not rush people into the deepest part of the story before there is enough safety and trust.

Together, we will look at what kind of support actually fits: counseling, EMDR, somatic work, mindfulness, DBT skills, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, or another next step. You do not have to show up perfectly prepared. You just have to show up as you are.

AVOS Counseling Center is primarily a fee-for-service practice and does not work directly with commercial insurance. The exception is Medicaid: Kelly and Sarah accept most Colorado Medicaid plans, and the contact form asks about Medicaid so we can route you to the right clinician.

For other insurance plans, AVOS Counseling Center can provide superbills that you may submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Erica currently onboards new therapy clients through packages or intensives rather than standard insurance-based weekly sessions. If insurance is part of the decision, ask before scheduling. We would rather be clear on the front end than surprise you later.

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a trauma therapy that helps the brain reprocess memories that got stuck in the nervous system. When something traumatic or overwhelming happens, the memory does not always get filed away properly. Your body can keep reacting as if the old danger is happening right now.

EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or tapping, while you work with the memory in a supported way. The goal is not to erase what happened. The goal is to help your brain and body understand that it is over. It is not you, it is your brain. And the brain can change.

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, or KAP, combines a low-dose ketamine experience with active psychotherapy. AtAVOS Counseling Center, KAP is offered by Erica Bonham, MA, LPC, who is PRATI KAP-trained. The medicine session is paired with preparation, therapeutic support, and integration afterward so the experience becomes more than just an isolated altered state.

KAP is typically considered for adults who have gone through medical and clinical screening, often when depression, trauma, anxiety, or stuck nervous-system patterns have not responded enough to other approaches. It is not appropriate for everyone, including people with psychosis, mania, or certain medication and medical situations. KAP is not a shortcut around the work. It can help open a window. Therapy helps integrate what comes through.

Yes. LGBTQIA+ affirming care is part ofAVOS Counseling Center's values, not a checkbox on a website. The practice is explicitly pro-queer, pro Black and brown people, pro-choice, and committed to therapy that names the impact of oppression instead of asking people to make peace with it.

Affirming therapy means your gender, sexuality, relationships, body, and story are treated with respect. It also means we make room for the real harm that can come from anti-queer family, religious, cultural, and political messages. We work from cultural humility, not assumptions. You should not have to educate your therapist into basic respect.

It depends on what you are carrying, what you want to change, and what kind of support your nervous system needs. Some people come in with a specific stuck memory or pattern and do focused EMDR work. Others are working with attachment wounds, shame, spiritual trauma, identity, grief, addiction recovery, or long-term nervous-system survival strategies. That work is not one-size-fits-all.

AtAVOS Counseling Center, therapy is about discovering what is working, what is not working anymore, and what needs support to change. We will name goals, choose a pace, and keep checking whether the work is actually helping. The point is not endless therapy. The point is real movement.

Appointment availability depends on the clinician and current caseload. The Arvada office is the main local home base for AVOS Counseling Center, and scheduling can vary between Erica, Kelly, and Sarah.

The best next step is to reach out through the consultation form and share what you need: in-person or online therapy, Medicaid or self-pay, preferred clinician if you have one, and the times that realistically work for your life. We will let you know what is available and whether there is a good fit. We would rather be honest about fit than squeeze you into something that does not work.