--- title: "Questions People Ask Before Starting" description: "First sessions, how long people usually come for, in person versus online, what DBT is, confidentiality in plain words, and what to do in a crisis." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com/#rodric", "name": "Rodric McClain", "url": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com", "image": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com/__l5e/assets-v1/a350a6b6-9619-403d-b8fa-ec90764359be/rodric-mcclain.png", "jobTitle": "Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com/#practice" }, "knowsAbout": [ "Couples therapy", "Individual therapy", "Family therapy", "PTSD and trauma", "Anxiety", "Depression", "Grief", "Life transitions", "Dialectical behavior therapy", "Cognitive behavioral therapy" ], "sameAs": [ "https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/rodric-montrell-mcclain-omaha-ne/1001455", "https://www.rula.com/providers/NE/1114410271-rodric-mcclain", "https://care.headway.co/providers/rodric-mcclain", "https://therapyrooted.com/therapist/united-states/nebraska/omaha-1/rodric-montrell-mcclain/" ] }, { "@type": "ProfessionalService", "@id": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com/#practice", "name": "Rodric McClain Counseling, LLC", "url": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com", "image": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com/__l5e/assets-v1/a350a6b6-9619-403d-b8fa-ec90764359be/rodric-mcclain.png", "telephone": "+1-731-393-3253", "description": "Individual, couples and family therapy in Omaha, Nebraska, in person and by telehealth, and telehealth across Nebraska and Rhode Island.", "priceRange": "$$", "availableLanguage": "English", "founder": { "@id": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com/#rodric" }, "areaServed": [ { "@type": "City", "name": "Omaha", "addressRegion": "NE" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "Nebraska" }, { "@type": "State", "name": "Rhode Island" } ] } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is a first session actually like?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Slower and more ordinary than people expect. You tell me what is going on in your own words, and I ask questions to understand the shape of your life: who is in it, what your week looks like, what has already been tried. You are not required to tell me everything on day one. Say what you are ready to say. The rest keeps." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long do people usually come for?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It varies more than any honest answer can pin down. Some people come with one clear thing, work on it for a couple of months, and finish. Others stay longer because what surfaced turned out to be bigger than the thing they arrived with. We check in on it openly. If the work is done, I will say so. Ending is part of the plan, not a failure of it." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "In person or online, which should I choose?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "In person happens at the Omaha office. Online happens anywhere in Nebraska, and it is the only way I meet with clients in Rhode Island. Neither is the serious version. Choose the one you will actually turn up to. If a drive across town in bad weather is what keeps you from going, video is the better therapy." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is DBT, in plain words?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Dialectical behavior therapy. The core idea is a dialectic: two apparently opposing things are true at the same time. You are doing the best you can with what you have, and you can build something better. Out of that come practical skills. Getting through a crisis without making it worse, handling feelings that arrive at full volume, saying the hard thing without burning the relationship, and being present instead of somewhere else. It is my primary method, and it is where the two strokes you see across this site come from." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do you work with people who are not veterans?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Veterans, military families, and first responders are a large part of my practice, and they are not all of it. Plenty of clients have never served and never will. Anxiety, grief, a relationship that has gone quiet, a job that has hollowed you out, a transition that looks fine on paper. That is the work too." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is what I say confidential?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "What you tell me in session stays between us. That is the default, and it is protected by law and by professional ethics. There are limits, and you deserve to know them upfront rather than discover them later. If someone is at serious risk of harm, if a child or a vulnerable adult is being hurt, or if a court orders disclosure, I may be required to act or to share information. I will tell you if that point is ever reached. One separate thing: the contact form on this site is not a secure or confidential channel. Keep clinical detail out of it and save that for session." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What should I do in a crisis?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Do not wait for a reply from this website. The contact form is not monitored around the clock and it is not for emergencies. Call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are a veteran or service member, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. If there is immediate danger to you or someone else, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Questions People Ask", "item": "https://rodricmcclaincounseling.com/faq" } ] } ] --- [Skip to content](#main) [Rodric McClain Counseling ](/) [About](/about) Services Who I help Concerns How I work Locations [Contact](/contact)[Start a conversation](/contact) Questions # Questions people ask The things people want to know before they send a message, answered the way I would answer them on the phone. ![Open prairie under warm late light](/assets/prairie-DqzXedHk.jpg) ## Is it normal to have this many questions first? Completely. Most people who reach out have been thinking about it for months and want to know what they are walking into before they commit to anything. If yours is not answered here, ask it in the first conversation. It is free, and asking a direct question is a perfectly good use of it. ### What is a first session actually like? Slower and more ordinary than people expect. You tell me what is going on in your own words, and I ask questions to understand the shape of your life: who is in it, what your week looks like, what has already been tried. You are not required to tell me everything on day one. Say what you are ready to say. The rest keeps. ### How long do people usually come for? It varies more than any honest answer can pin down. Some people come with one clear thing, work on it for a couple of months, and finish. Others stay longer because what surfaced turned out to be bigger than the thing they arrived with. We check in on it openly. If the work is done, I will say so. Ending is part of the plan, not a failure of it. ### In person or online, which should I choose? In person happens at the Omaha office. Online happens anywhere in Nebraska, and it is the only way I meet with clients in Rhode Island. Neither is the serious version. Choose the one you will actually turn up to. If a drive across town in bad weather is what keeps you from going, video is the better therapy. ### What is DBT, in plain words? Dialectical behavior therapy. The core idea is a dialectic: two apparently opposing things are true at the same time. You are doing the best you can with what you have, and you can build something better. Out of that come practical skills. Getting through a crisis without making it worse, handling feelings that arrive at full volume, saying the hard thing without burning the relationship, and being present instead of somewhere else. It is my primary method, and it is where the two strokes you see across this site come from. ### Do you work with people who are not veterans? Yes. Veterans, military families, and first responders are a large part of my practice, and they are not all of it. Plenty of clients have never served and never will. Anxiety, grief, a relationship that has gone quiet, a job that has hollowed you out, a transition that looks fine on paper. That is the work too. ### Is what I say confidential? What you tell me in session stays between us. That is the default, and it is protected by law and by professional ethics. There are limits, and you deserve to know them upfront rather than discover them later. If someone is at serious risk of harm, if a child or a vulnerable adult is being hurt, or if a court orders disclosure, I may be required to act or to share information. I will tell you if that point is ever reached. One separate thing: the contact form on this site is not a secure or confidential channel. Keep clinical detail out of it and save that for session. ### What should I do in a crisis? Do not wait for a reply from this website. The contact form is not monitored around the clock and it is not for emergencies. Call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are a veteran or service member, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. If there is immediate danger to you or someone else, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department. ## Ready when you are. Therapy starts with a conversation. Send a short message and tell me what is going on, in your own words. We meet in person in Omaha, and online across Nebraska and Rhode Island. [Start a conversation](/contact) Rodric McClain Counseling ## Pages - [Home](/) - [About](/about) - [Getting started](/getting-started) - [Questions people ask](/faq) - [Fees and payment](/fees) - [Contact](/contact) ## Services - [All services](/services) - [Individual therapy](/services/individual-therapy) - [Couples therapy](/services/couples-therapy) - [Family therapy](/services/family-therapy) - [Teen and young adult therapy](/services/teen-and-young-adult-therapy) - [Online therapy](/services/online-therapy) ## Who I help - [Everyone I work with](/who-i-help) - [Veterans](/who-i-help/veterans) - [Active duty and military families](/who-i-help/active-duty-and-military-families) - [First responders](/who-i-help/first-responders) ## Concerns - [Everything people bring](/concerns) - [PTSD and trauma](/concerns/ptsd-and-trauma) - [Anxiety](/concerns/anxiety) - [Depression and low mood](/concerns/depression) - [Grief and loss](/concerns/grief-and-loss) - [Stress and burnout](/concerns/stress-and-burnout) - [Relationship issues](/concerns/relationship-issues) - [Life transitions](/concerns/life-transitions) ## How I work - [How I work](/how-i-work) - [DBT](/how-i-work/dbt) - [CBT](/how-i-work/cbt) - [Mindfulness](/how-i-work/mindfulness) ## Locations - [Where I practice](/locations) - [Omaha, in person and online](/locations/omaha) - [Lincoln, online and in person](/locations/lincoln) - [Bellevue, online and in person](/locations/bellevue) - [Papillion, online and in person](/locations/papillion) - [La Vista, online and in person](/locations/la-vista) - [Grand Island, online and in person](/locations/grand-island) - [Rhode Island, telehealth only](/locations/rhode-island) ## Legal - [Privacy policy](/privacy-policy) - [Terms of use](/terms) - [Accessibility](/accessibility) ## Practice - Rodric McClain - LIMHP (Nebraska) · LMHC (Rhode Island) - Omaha, Nebraska - [(731) 393-3253](tel:+17313933253) ## In a crisis - Call or text 988, Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. - Veterans Crisis Line: call 988, then press 1. - If there is immediate danger, call 911. © 2026 Rodric McClain Counseling, LLC. General information only, not a substitute for care or emergency services.