The first part of this post will discuss upcoming fee changes that will impact some of you who were grandfathered-in to our former fees as well as highlight new initiatives coming in 2025. The second part of this post will discuss thoughts regarding the recent election.

Fee Schedule Changes:

As Tree City Wellness has transitioned off insurance panels this year and increased fees for new clients, some of you have been grandfathered-in to our previous fees.

This will be changing beginning January 1, 2025 and all clients will be updated to our current fee schedule which I have listed below.

Some of you are on a lower-cost, sliding fee, and please know that this amount will remain the same and not be impacted by this change. However, if you are able to increase your fee by any amount, even if it’s $10, know that it will be contributing to allow greater access in serving our community and supporting causes we care about (more on that below as well).

Our current fee schedule is as follows:

Appointments with Krysteena or Dylan:

Initial Intake: 75 minutes @ $215

Individual sessions: 50 minutes @ $180

Couples sessions: 50 minutes @ $200

Appointments with Madison, Luke, or Anastasia:

Individual sessions: $100

Couples sessions: $120

*Intake sessions are the same as individual or couple*

Rapid Trauma Therapy Intensive using Accelerated Resolution Therapy with Krysteena: 90-120 minutes @ $395

Where is my money going?

As a small business owner, I highly value transparency and I am happy to chat at any time about the goals and new initiatives for Tree City Wellness as we continue to grow.

It has long been a dream of mine to provide an impact greater than what can be provided within the walls of the therapy room. I have professional experience working with people from all walks of life: from performing outreach in the prisons, to supporting the unhoused, to teaching prosocial skills to youth, particularly those impacted by gangs, violence, and abuse, to professional women and men, dual-income households with kids trying to navigate the stressors of modern parenting.. and more.

I’ve learned, and truly witnessed, that mental health does not discriminate. It impacts us all.

As a solo provider, a new mom, and a human impacted by the pandemic over the last few years in my private practice, I have been limited on the impact I can make in our local community. Now that my business is growing, I am committed to partnering with causes that I support and using my small influence to try to make substantial change. When many things feel out of control in our world, this is something I believe that I can have control over.

So, back to the original question of, “where is my money going:”

• Supporting the professional development of my team and contributing to specialized trainings that enhance our ability to serve our clients well and provide exceptional care.
• Supporting my team in being able to practice what they preach by taking time off if needed, going to their own therapy, having access to healthcare, and taking care of their families.
• Providing our team the ability to volunteer our time and resources to local nonprofits.
• Partnering with other local organizations for our support such as the Idaho Food Bank, St. Luke’s NICU, El Ada Community Action Partnership, The Pro Voice project, and more.
• Enhancing our ability to provide more offers for our community next year that may include things such as financial planning workshops, couples weekend intensives, attachment parenting classes, and more.
• A future program (that will hopefully will be in place by end of 2025) to offer significantly reduced fees for mental health care to those who are in the most need in our community.
• Participation in collective advocacy against insurance companies that value profit over patient care in America.

Ultimately, please know that your dollar is going far beyond our bank accounts. We are committed to serving our clients to the best of our ability, committed to continuing to grow and enhance our skills, and committed to serving our community in larger, more meaningful ways than we have done yet to date.

We appreciate your understanding and your therapists are available with any questions or concerns regarding these changes.

The Elephant in the Room: Election Results

Many of you have been impacted by the results of the recent election. I have sat with you as you’ve cried and I have sat with you as you’ve celebrated.

Please know that regardless of your political affiliation, you are always welcome here. We stand behind our values of acceptance to all people regardless of political stance, religion, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. You are welcome to share openly about your voting choice or your beliefs and our therapists will respond to your words with empathy and curiosity.

That being said, we are in a time of great unrest and massive divide among the American people. As therapists, our profession encourages us to keep our opinions to ourselves while also advocating for the needs and rights of the underserved and underprivileged. I’ve always had a hard time understanding how we can effectively do both of those things at the same time….

To be silent when you have the ability to not be silent, is a privilege.

I am a human, also impacted by the election results as well as changes in our country and our states laws over the last few years. As previously stated, I do intend to use my small influence to try to create as big of impact as possible, starting within my community and this beautiful state of Idaho that I have grown to love dearly over the last 10 years.

Some of you may notice my voice getting louder and you may or may not agree with the things I say or the causes I support outside of the therapy room. You are welcome to disagree. In fact, if it feels relevant to your care, I do encourage you to bring it up in session so that we may have an honest and constructive conversation. I truly believe that we are going to be more effective as a country if we find a way to come together, rather than continuing to increase the divide among “sides.” I can bet, that even if we disagree on our political views, we can still find many things that we do agree on and continue to work forward from a place of mutual respect and understanding.

Humans are complex, multi-faceted creatures. We are full of surprises. We are oftentimes walking paradoxes. However, at the heart of all of us, I do truly believe we are all good. We are born good and pure and as we grow, life experiences result in adaptations to people and life events that sometimes result in us doing not-so-good things. This world can be harsh. It makes sense.

Furthermore, the longer I am in this field, the more grey I view the world. There are many instances in life that we “think” we know how we will respond but unless we have actually been in the situation, we don’t.

For example, I don’t believe anyone is selfish. I believe that we can, at times, be self-serving because it is the only way we’ve learned how to get our needs met. I also don’t believe anyone is lazy but again, we can sometimes be so consumed by the weight of trauma, overwhelm, or disapproval, that we shut down, unable to access the motivated, driven, goal-oriented parts of ourselves.

However, I do believe in self-determination, and I believe that if we are fortunate enough to be given the right tools and support, we are all willing and able to thrive. Unfortunately, many are born into environments where they lack access to appropriate support or the tools to help them succeed. In my opinion, being born with or without this support is sheer chance.

As we move forward, I encourage you to support causes you care about. If you believe you are in a place of privilege, I encourage you to speak up about things that perhaps you have normally been silent on. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, I encourage you to find control in your own world when you feel like other things in the world are outside of your control.

And most of all, I encourage you to be curious about beliefs, people, experiences, situations, and stances that may be different from you. Regardless of where we are from or how we live our lives, we are all deserving of safety, stability, support, love, and care.

Thank you.

Krysteena Wilson, therapist and Practice Administrator