Women's Empowerment Group

The purpose of an intake session is to discuss the group’s purpose and guidelines, discuss your needs and goals, and answer any questions you might have. This is also the time to complete necessary paperwork. The main purpose of this appointment is to help determine whether the group is a good fit for your needs.

If you are violent, engaging in risky behaviors, or actively abusing drugs or alcohol, you may not be appropriate for group therapy. Group needs to feel safe for all members and if you are struggling with one of these issues, you may need specialized treatment or individual psychotherapy to work on some of these concerns before considering joining a therapy group.

Group therapy is suitable for a large variety of difficulties and concerns, including people who would like to develop their interpersonal skills and people with problems like anxiety, depression, or other emotional troubles. Groups are especially suited to people who are struggling with relationship issues like intimacy, trust, and self-esteem. 

The group’s interactions help the participants to identify, get feedback about, and change the patterns that are sabotaging their relationships. The great advantage of group therapy is working on these patterns in the “here and now”- in a group situation similar to everyday life.

This group is ongoing. If we decide the group is a good fit, you can join at anytime. 

Groups will be capped at 10 women though the number of women actively enrolled may change at any time.

Absolutely, we consider each participant's privacy and confidentiality very seriously! All members of the group will sign a contract agreeing to uphold confidentiality at all times.

One exception is that Dr. Leevers is a *Mandated Reporter. This means that if you want to hurt yourself, you want to hurt someone else, or someone is hurting you or someone else Dr. Leevers will have to let the appropriate people know in order to help keep everyone safe.

The group fee is $55 per session. Payment can be made in cash or credit card. Checks can be made to Mindwell Gardens. Members are required to have a credit card authorization on file to be billed weekly as requested. You will not be charged for missed sessions, but kindly inform Dr. Leevers that you will not be able to make it.

We currently accept Anthem BCBS and we'll bill them for you as a courtesy. However, it is your responsibility to check with them about covering group psychotherapy (CPT 90853). 

While other insurance companies are not accepted, you can request a monthly superbill that can be submitted to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. Since coverage varies widely from policy to policy, there is no guarantee that Dr. Leevers' services will be reimbursed in full or in partial by your insurance company.

There's no specific workbook for this group. However, it's recommended that you bring a 2-inch 3-ring binder to the group sessions. Dr. Leevers typically provides handouts in each session about information presented, group activities, and worksheets. 

Participants will receive the following before or during the intake session:

1. Office Policies and Procedures
2. HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices
3. Group Therapy Handout: How to get the most of your group experience
4. Group Therapy Agreement and Consent for Services: This document discusses the risks and benefits of group therapy, group procedures, group expectations, confidentiality expectations, and the code of conduct.

No one is forced to share, but being engaged is important for group cohesiveness.