Scheduling and Messaging Portal: Existing clients can send secure, private messages to Mrs. Hilsher, and can also schedule or cancel appointments by going to our CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS PORTAL. New clients are invited to first contact our office to schedule an appointment, but can use the portal to check availability of appointments.
Lisa grew up in Lancaster, PA and is a recent graduate from Lancaster Bible College as of May 2023. Lisa has been working at PHA since July 2023. She received her BA in Psychology at Millersville University.
Lisa developed a joy for working with children and adolescents through volunteering with student ministries at her church for two years. Lisa has a strong commitment to helping clients, especially those ages 7 through 21 years old and their families, walk through the toughest moments of their lives and move along the path towards healing. With client approval, Lisa incorporates faith into her counseling approach. Lisa has experience working with clients who are struggling with a variety of issues such as anxiety, depression, OCD, acute trauma, grief/loss, relationship issues and navigating life stressors and transitions. Lisa establishes a treatment plan based on client needs and primarily uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Lisa has also applied DBT and Gestalt informed skills to therapy.
In her free time, Lisa likes photography, hiking, tennis, biking, traveling, singing, writing music, and hanging out with family, friends and her husband.
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In Pennsylvania, to become a “Fully Licensed Therapist” and start to add the alphabet of acronyms to the end their name, each clinician must first go through a minimum of 2 years and 3000 hours of supervised clinical experience. While doing this, they typically spend 2 hours each week actively participating in individual and group supervision under the direction of a seasoned supervisor who is helping to guide them and grow their skills and experience. Working with a pre-licensed therapist means you reap the benefits of two clinicians in one!
WHY SEE A PRE-LICENSED THERAPIST?
When seeing a pre-licensed therapist, you as a client are gaining in many ways! These therapists are actively seeking to expand their knowledge base and are often more open to educational opportunities and learning new approaches. They are often inherently interested in cutting-edge research and emerging techniques. Their appetite to learn and improve is voracious!
At PHA and in accordance with mental health regulations, pre-licensed clinicians do not participate with insurance panels as other clinicians do. Therefore, private pay session rates for pre-licensed clinicians are significantly lower than our licensed therapists.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF A PRE-LICENSED THERAPIST
- Lower Costs: Private pay rates are lower overall vs. a licensed therapist which is especially helpful with high deductible plans. Lower costs may help make it more likely for a client to start or even stay in treatment.
- Schedule Flexibility: They are often more able to add new clients or have open appts faster with less wait time. More evening appts may be available too!
- High Energy & Commitment: They have a fresh outlook with a unique perspective full of energy, motivation, and experience, possibly from other professional and/or life experiences, to bring into the treatment process.
- Collaborative Approach: As the pre-licensed clinician collaborates with a supervisor, she learns how to collaborate with the client too. This is a win-win!