Counseling across Maine
Rootwork Counseling is a group practice in Brewer. Six licensed clinicians see adults by video, by phone and in our office, so a long road does not decide who gets to talk to someone.
6
licensed clinicians2
states where we are licensed, Maine and New Hampshire50 min
a session, by video, by phone or in BrewerSample figures.
Who we are for
If any of this sounds like where you live, we built Rootwork for you.
Getting there
An hour or more each way, in winter too
Your connection
A video link that will not hold
Being seen
Everyone in town knows whose car it is
The hour
Office hours that match the working day
Who you see
One practitioner, if any
Getting there
A session from a quiet room at home, or our Brewer office
Your connection
A phone-only session is a real session
Being seen
Video from home, so your truck is not in the lot downtown
The hour
Evening sessions with some clinicians, so work and chores come first
Who you see
Six clinicians, so you have a choice
Services
One to one, 50 minutes, for adults. By video, by phone or in Brewer.
Individual therapy80 minutes, together on one screen, in one room, or each from your own home.
Couples therapySix small groups that meet by video, at lunchtime, in the evening and on Sundays.
Group programsWhat you need to join, and what to do when the signal is weak.
Video and phoneGroup programs
Small groups that meet by video. A clinician talks with you before you join, to see whether a group is a good match.
| Group | When it meets | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Evening check-in | When it meetsTuesdays, 6:30 p.m. | Who it is forAny adult who wants steady company between sessions |
| Caregivers | When it meetsWednesdays, 12:15 p.m. | Who it is forAdults looking after a parent, partner or child at home |
| Working the land and water | When it meetsThursdays, 7:00 p.m. | Who it is forAdults whose work follows the season: farming, fishing, logging and the trades |
| Men's group | When it meetsMondays, 7:00 p.m. | Who it is forMen who would rather talk with other men |
| Parents of teenagers | When it meetsWednesdays, 6:30 p.m. | Who it is forParents and stepparents of teenagers, with no teenagers in the room |
| Winter circle | When it meetsSundays, 4:00 p.m., November to March | Who it is forAdults who want company through the dark months |
How it works
There is no app to install and no drive.
Days, evenings or Sundays, depending on the clinician.
We email the link, or your clinician calls you at the time you set.
In Maine or New Hampshire, on a phone, tablet or computer.
The office is there if you would rather sit in a room.
In person
Our office is in Brewer, across the river from Bangor. Most sessions are by video, and the office is there if you would rather sit in a room.
Ground-floor entrance, with parking behind the building
Directions to Brewer officeBy video and by phone
You need to be in Maine or New Hampshire during a session, at home or anywhere private. Every clinician is licensed in Maine, and two are also licensed in New Hampshire.
Anywhere in the state, from Kittery to Fort Kent.
For people in New Hampshire, and for Mainers who are across the line for work.
If you are in another state during a session, we cannot see you yet. Write to us and we will help you find someone licensed where you live.
What most people ask before a first session, in the order they ask it.
Each clinician here is in network with some plans and out of network with others, and which is which can change. Tell us your plan when you write, and before your first session we tell you in writing what applies to the clinician you would see. For Medicare and MaineCare, we say yes or no for each clinician, plainly.
Some PPO and POS plans reimburse out-of-network care
Medicare and MaineCare: we answer for each clinician in writing
If you pay yourself, your fee for each session is given to you in writing before you start, so you never learn it at the door. A limited number of reduced-fee places may be open: ask when you write, and we answer plainly. HSA and FSA cards work like any other card. Please give 24 hours' notice to change a session. A storm or a dropped connection does not count as a late cancellation.
At the end of each month we can email you an itemized receipt, called a superbill, to send to your plan if you want to ask for reimbursement. It carries a diagnosis code, which your plan will see. Whether your plan pays is its decision, and reimbursement is not guaranteed, so it is worth asking your plan before you start.
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of what your care will cost before you start. We send you one in writing before your first session. If your final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.
If you want us to bill your plan, we check your benefits before your first session and tell you in writing what we find: what the plan covers, what you may owe, and whether the clinician you would see is in network. If you pay yourself, there is nothing to check.
Our clinicians
Read about each, and tell us whom you would like to see.
Clinical director, licensed clinical social worker
Started Rootwork so that a long road would not decide who gets to talk to someone. He sees adults by video, by phone and in Brewer, and leads the group for people whose work follows the season.
Licensed clinical professional counselor
Sees adults by video and phone, and leads the caregivers' group. She works at the pace you set and explains how she works in the first session.
Licensed psychologist
Sees adults by video and by phone, in Maine and in New Hampshire, and leads the evening check-in group.
Licensed marriage and family therapist
Sees couples and individual adults, and leads the group for parents of teenagers. Couples sessions run 80 minutes.
Licensed clinical professional counselor
Sees adults by video, by phone and in Brewer, and leads the men's group on Monday evenings.
Licensed clinical social worker
Sees adults by video, by phone and in Brewer, and leads the winter circle, a group that meets from November to March.
How we work
Therapy here is a conversation between you and a licensed clinician. You decide what to bring. Your clinician tells you how they work, answers your questions about it, and checks in on whether it is useful to you.
We do not provide emergency care, and we do not prescribe medication. We do not write reports for courts or evaluate people for disability benefits. If you need any of those, we help you find someone who does.
We cannot tell you how many sessions you will need or what you will get from them. Results vary, and your clinician sets the pace with you.
Write to us from your kitchen table. We reply in writing within two business days, and we call only if you ask us to.
Contact
Write in whatever way is easiest. We reply in writing within two business days, and we call only if you ask us to.
Groups meet by video, some in the evening and on weekends.