Innovative Counseling: Therapists, Costs and Insurance

What is Innovative Counseling?

Innovative Counseling, LLC is a small outpatient mental health practice based in the Kendall area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. It provides talk therapy and counseling, either in person at its Kendall office or by live video for people anywhere in Florida. The website address is icounseling.net, but the practice's name is Innovative Counseling.

The practice describes its approach as a blend of evidence-based therapies (it names EMDR, CBT, ACT and DBT) with what it calls holistic practices: EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), mindfulness, meditation and "the mind-body-energy connection." Its service pages also describe a three-phase framework it calls the Innovative Reset Method™: "Understand the Root," "Build Your Toolkit" and "Sustain the Change."

Who it works with, according to its site:

• Adults in individual therapy, for concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, stress, burnout, self-esteem and life transitions.
• Couples, married or not, including premarital couples and couples unsure whether to stay together.
• Families, including parents and children, blended families and families going through divorce.
• Teens, which the site says generally means ages 13 to 17, with older teens and young adults also seen.
• New and expecting parents, including fathers and non-birthing partners, through its postpartum support service.

It is an outpatient practice. Its services page says plainly that it does not provide emergency or after-hours crisis care, and it points people in crisis to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or 911.

Who owns or runs Innovative Counseling?

The site names Muriell Carlisle, LPC, LMHC, C.H.T. as the founder of Innovative Counseling. She also appears as the clinical reviewer on many of the site's service pages. According to her bio, she has more than 15 years of experience; began her career in psycho-social rehabilitation centers in Miami; later worked on US military bases in Germany and Italy with service members, veterans, couples and families; and now lives in Southern Oregon. Her bio lists a Licensed Professional Counselor license in Oregon and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor license in Florida, education at Barry University, and certifications as a neuropsychotherapist, Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) practitioner and hypnotherapist.

Two public records line up with this. The Florida Department of Health license lookup shows Muriell Carlisle as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (license MH12126), status Clear/Active, first issued 25 October 2013. The federal NPI registry lists an organization record for Innovative Counseling, LLC (NPI 1528658754), active since 21 January 2021, with Muriell Carlisle as its authorized official. We did not check the Oregon license or the private certifications.

The practice does not publish a founding year. If how long the practice itself has existed matters to you, ask.

Is Innovative Counseling legit?

For a therapy practice, the most useful checks are whether the clinicians are licensed, whether the practice is a real, reachable business, and whether its pricing is clear. Here is what we could check on 19 October 2026:

• Licenses. We looked up all six clinicians named on the team page in the Florida Department of Health's public license search. Every one showed a Clear/Active Florida license, expiring 31 March 2027, with "Discipline on File: No" and "Public Complaint: No." The license numbers for five of them are published on the practice's own bio pages and match the state records. You can repeat the search yourself on the state's site.
• A named office and phone line. The site publishes one street address in Kendall, office hours, and two phone numbers. Its location page describes this as its only office; elsewhere in Florida it works by video.
• Published prices. The rates page lists flat self-pay prices for every service and names the insurance plans it is paneled with.
• A federal identifier. The practice holds an organization NPI (a National Provider Identifier, required for billing health insurance), active since January 2021.
• Required notices. It publishes a Good Faith Estimate notice, the price-estimate disclosure federal law requires for self-pay and uninsured clients.
• Published reviews. The site says it has a 5.0 rating from more than 40 Google reviews and reprints a selection of them on its testimonials page. Those figures are the practice's own; we did not count them independently.

The site also lists articles by its clinicians on outside mental health publications and links to some clinicians' verified Psychology Today directory profiles.

Who are the therapists?

The team page lists six women clinicians. The credentials below are as the site states them; the "State record" column shows what the Florida Department of Health lookup returned on 19 October 2026.

A few things worth knowing. Gessica Jean's bio says she holds a doctorate in clinical psychology; her Florida license is as a marriage and family therapist, not as a psychologist. The "years of experience" figures are each clinician's time in the mental health field, which can be longer than the time they have held their current license. None of the six clinicians listed is a psychiatrist or other prescriber; the FAQ says therapists can help clients coordinate with a psychiatrist if medication may be needed.

The team page shows only one clinician as telehealth only (Kimberley Oakes). Muriell Carlisle's bio says she lives in Southern Oregon, so if you want to see a particular clinician in person, confirm that when you book.

Services, one by one

The practice lists these services. Prices are from its rates page; insurance applies to individual counseling only.

The site's conditions page also lists anxiety and panic, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, OCD, phobias, chronic stress, clinical and major depression, bipolar disorder, postpartum and perinatal depression, trauma, PTSD, complex PTSD and grief, plus ADHD and anger management. A Workshop for Couples page describes a therapist-led workshop on communication, trust and conflict, but no dates or price were published when we checked.

Family sessions: the family therapy page says not every family member has to attend every session; parents or individual members may meet separately as part of the work. Teens: the FAQ notes that in Florida, minors generally need a parent's consent for therapy.

Couples therapy in more detail

Couples therapy is one of the practice's most detailed service pages. It says sessions are for any partners: married, unmarried, engaged or considering separation. It describes the early sessions as an assessment of the relationship's history and current problems, followed by setting goals, looking at communication and conflict patterns in session, and practicing specific skills between sessions.

The page names three approaches and sets them side by side:

• Gottman Method: structured tools and exercises focused on friendship, conflict management and shared meaning. The page's comparison table gives "often 10 to 20+ sessions" as a typical length.
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): works on the emotional cycle behind conflict and on attachment needs; "often 8 to 20 sessions."
• CBT for couples: looks at thought and behavior patterns in the relationship; "typically shorter and focused."

It also offers premarital counseling (structured conversations about money, family, communication and long-term goals) and discernment counseling, a short process for couples where one partner is leaning toward ending the relationship. The site's FAQ describes discernment counseling as typically 1 to 5 sessions. If only one partner is willing to come, the page says individual therapy is an option.

Couples sessions are self-pay at $130. Insurance does not apply.

Trauma, EMDR and hypnotherapy

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy for distressing memories. The practice's EMDR page describes the general format: an assessment and treatment plan, identifying the memories to work on, then sets of bilateral stimulation (eye movements or tapping) while briefly focusing on the memory, with the therapist checking in between sets. It says you are awake and in control throughout, and that each session ends with a focus on calming down. The page says a typical EMDR session lasts 60 to 90 minutes and that the number of sessions varies by person. Because the rates page prices sessions at 50 to 60 minutes, ask what a longer EMDR session would cost. EMDR is available in person and online. Clinicians whose bios mention EMDR include Muriell Carlisle and Kimberley Oakes.

Trauma therapy more broadly covers single-incident trauma, complex or childhood trauma, relational trauma, grief and PTSD, using trauma-informed talk therapy as well as EMDR.

Hypnotherapy is the one service priced differently: $150 for 60 minutes, self-pay. The page describes it as a focused, deeply relaxed state used to work on habits, stress, sleep and self-limiting patterns, and lists behavior change goals such as stopping smoking. Muriell Carlisle's bio lists her as a certified hypnotherapist and RTT practitioner. As with any therapy, whether it suits your situation is a question for the free consultation.

Life coaching (and how it differs from therapy)

Life coaching is offered as a separate, self-pay service at $130 for a 50 to 60 minute session. What the practice stresses is who does it: its coaches are its licensed clinicians (a mental health counselor, clinical social worker or marriage and family therapist), whereas, as the page notes, "the life coaching industry is largely unregulated."

The page describes coaching as future-focused: turning broad aims into specific, time-bound goals, accountability check-ins, strengths-based work, and between-session action items. It says most clients start weekly and move to every two weeks or monthly. It is available in person in Miami or online across Florida, in English or Spanish.

Coaching is not a substitute for treatment of a mental health condition, and insurance does not cover it here. If a coach spots signs of something like depression or trauma, the page says they may recommend therapy instead.

Where is it, and can you do sessions online?

The office. Innovative Counseling has one office: 7700 N Kendall Drive, Suite 807, Miami, FL 33156. Its location page says it serves South Miami, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay and surrounding communities. Published hours are Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 7 PM, closed Saturday and Sunday. Individual clinicians publish their own hours (see the team table), some of which run earlier, later or into the weekend; those are presumably video sessions, so ask.

Telehealth. The practice's locations page puts it simply: "One office in Miami, and secure online therapy everywhere else in the state." It says its therapists are licensed in Florida, so it can see clients by video wherever they are in the state. The site describes its video service only for clients in Florida. The site lists dozens of Florida cities it serves this way, from Broward and Palm Beach to Tampa Bay, the Gulf Coast, Gainesville and Jacksonville. Those are service areas, not offices.

How video sessions work, according to the online therapy page:

• Sessions are live, one-on-one video appointments, not chat or recorded content.
• They run on a HIPAA-compliant, encrypted video platform in your browser; you get a secure link before each session and there is no software to install.
• The practice says sessions are not recorded.
• You need a device with a camera, a stable internet connection and a private space.
• Sessions are 50 to 60 minutes and cost the same as in-person sessions.

The page notes that video therapy is less suited to severe crises or to clients who have no private space to talk.

How much does Innovative Counseling cost?

These are the self-pay prices published on the rates page on 19 October 2026.

What changes your cost. If you use insurance for individual counseling, what you pay depends on your plan's copay, coinsurance and deductible; the practice checks your benefits before your first appointment. How many sessions you need varies by person and by what you are working on, and the practice does not promise a number. The site's FAQ says some people feel ready to stop after a few sessions for a specific issue, while deeper work often takes several months or longer.

What it does not offer. The FAQ states: "We don't offer out-of-network billing or a sliding scale." Package or multi-session discounts are not published. Accepted payment methods are not listed on the rates page, so ask when you book.

Good Faith Estimate. If you are uninsured or not using insurance, federal rules give you the right to a written Good Faith Estimate of expected costs at least one business day before your service, and to dispute a bill that comes in at least $400 above that estimate. The practice publishes this notice on its site.

Does Innovative Counseling take insurance?

Yes, but only for individual counseling. The practice says it is paneled with these plans:

• Aetna
• Cigna
• UnitedHealthcare
• Oxford
• Oscar
• Avmed
• UMR
• Student Resources

Couples therapy, family therapy, life coaching and hypnotherapy are self-pay. Medicare and Medicaid are not on the published list, so if you have either, call to check before you book.

How to verify your benefits. The practice asks you to send, by email or text, a photo of your insurance card along with your date of birth, phone number and email address. It checks your benefits, including telehealth coverage, and confirms before anything is scheduled. The booking form also has space for this.

Therapy in Spanish

The practice offers therapy in Spanish and has a Spanish-language section of its site ("Terapia en Español") covering couples, family, anxiety, trauma and EMDR, online therapy and therapy for teens. On the team pages, Catalina Vega and Yaimara Vazquez both say they are bilingual in English and Spanish. Spanish sessions cost the same as English ones, and the same insurance rule applies: insurance for individual sessions only.

Different pages of the site name different bilingual clinicians, so if Spanish matters to you, ask which therapist will see you and confirm they work in Spanish.

What happens step by step

1. Get in touch. Call or text (786) 224-7111, or use the booking form on the site. The form asks for your name, phone, email, date of birth and what you're interested in (individual, couples, family, teen counseling, life coaching, hypnosis or other).
2. Send insurance details if you're using insurance. A photo of your card, your date of birth, phone and email, so the practice can check benefits before scheduling.
3. Free 20-minute consultation. The practice describes this as a no-obligation call to hear what is going on, answer questions and match you with a therapist.
4. Choose in person or video. In person at the Kendall office, or by secure video anywhere in Florida.
5. First full session. The site describes the first session as an intake: your therapist asks about your background, what brought you in, what has or hasn't helped before and what you want to work on, and you agree a treatment plan together.
6. Ongoing sessions. Sessions run 50 to 60 minutes. The site says most clients start weekly and adjust frequency over time. Your therapist checks in on progress and adjusts the plan as needed.

If you'd rather choose a specific clinician, each bio page has its own "Book a Session" button. Otherwise the practice matches you during the consultation.

Privacy, crisis care and other policies

• Confidentiality. The FAQ explains that your therapist cannot share what you discuss without your written consent, with a few legal exceptions: an immediate risk of harm to yourself or others, suspected child or elder abuse, or a court order.
• Video privacy. Sessions run on a HIPAA-compliant, encrypted platform and are not recorded, according to the practice.
• Crisis care. The practice is outpatient only. It does not provide emergency or after-hours crisis care. In a crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7), or call 911 if there is immediate danger.
• Minors. The FAQ notes that in Florida minors generally need parental consent for therapy. Ask how parents are involved in teen sessions.
• Cancellations. A cancellation or no-show policy is not published on the site. Ask about notice periods and any fee before your first session.
• Good Faith Estimate. Published, as described above.
• Website terms. The site's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (last updated 5 June 2024) cover use of the website itself, not the therapy relationship. Expect separate intake and consent paperwork.

How it compares with other options

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Questions to ask before you book

1. Is my plan accepted for individual counseling, and what will my copay or coinsurance be?
2. Which therapist do you suggest for my situation, and do they see clients in person, by video, or both?
3. If I want sessions in Spanish, which clinicians work in Spanish?
4. What is your cancellation or no-show policy, and is there a fee?
5. For EMDR: how long are the sessions, and does a longer session cost more than $130?
6. For teens: how are parents involved, and what stays confidential?
7. Which forms of payment do you accept for self-pay sessions?
8. If I may need medication, how do you coordinate with a psychiatrist?

How to get started

1. Read the rates and insurance page to see whether your plan applies.
2. Browse the team page if you'd like to pick a clinician.
3. Request a time on the booking page, or call or text (786) 224-7111.
4. If you're using insurance, send a photo of your card with your date of birth, phone and email.
5. Use the free 20-minute consultation to ask the questions above before your first session.

Visit Innovative Counseling

Terms you'll see on the site

• LMHC: Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a Florida license for master's-level counselors.
• LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
• LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
• LPC: Licensed Professional Counselor, the equivalent counselor license in many other states, including Oregon.
• C.H.T.: Certified Hypnotherapist, a private certification rather than a state license.
• CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which works on links between thoughts, feelings and behavior.
• DBT: Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a skills-based therapy for emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
• ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
• EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a structured therapy for distressing memories.
• EFT: on this site, either Emotionally Focused Therapy (a couples approach) or Emotional Freedom Techniques (a holistic tapping practice). Ask which one is meant.
• Telehealth: therapy by live video.
• Good Faith Estimate: a written cost estimate that self-pay and uninsured clients are entitled to under federal law.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

All pages checked on 19 October 2026.

1. Innovative Counseling, home page: icounseling.net
2. About us: icounseling.net/about-us/
3. Our team: icounseling.net/our-counselors/
4. Clinician bios: Muriell Carlisle, Jana Gottesman, Kimberley Oakes, Gessica Jean, Catalina Vega, Yaimara Vazquez
5. Rates and insurance: icounseling.net/rate-insurance/
6. Good Faith Estimate notice: icounseling.net/good-faith-estimate/
7. Frequently asked questions: icounseling.net/frequently-asked-questions/
8. Book an appointment: icounseling.net/book-appointment/
9. Contact us: icounseling.net/contact-us/
10. Kendall office: icounseling.net/locations/kendall/
11. Locations served: icounseling.net/counseling-locations/
12. All services: icounseling.net/services/
13. Conditions treated: icounseling.net/therapy/
14. Service pages: Individual, Couples, Family, Teen, Stress and anxiety, Depression and trauma, EMDR, DBT, Hypnotherapy, Life coaching, Postpartum support, Online therapy, Workshop for couples
15. Terapia en español: icounseling.net/terapia-en-espanol-en-miami-fl/
16. Testimonials: icounseling.net/testimonials/
17. Press and media: icounseling.net/press/
18. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy: terms, privacy
19. Florida Department of Health, license verification (searched license numbers MH12126, SW14899, MH12664, MT4589, MH25096, MH24179 and the name Catalina Vega): mqa-internet.doh.state.fl.us
20. NPPES NPI Registry, Innovative Counseling, LLC (NPI 1528658754) and Muriell Carlisle (NPI 1063832897): npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov
21. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org