Most people who call here have been thinking about it for a while. Weeks, sometimes months. If you have landed on this page, you are probably somewhere in that stretch between knowing something needs to change and actually doing anything about it.

You do not need a diagnosis to start

A common reason people wait is the belief that counseling is for a specific, nameable problem, and that theirs does not qualify. It does not work that way. You do not need a diagnosis, a referral, or a tidy explanation of what is wrong. Something has been off for a while and I am tired of it is a complete reason to book.

You also do not need to have hit a crisis first. A lot of the most useful work happens well before that point.

What the first session actually looks like

The first session is a conversation, not an intake interrogation. Dan will ask what brought you in and what you would like to be different. You set the pace and you decide what gets discussed.

You will not be asked to walk through your worst experience on day one. If there is something you are not ready to open, say so and it stays closed. That is not avoidance, it is sequencing, and it matters.

By the end you should have a reasonable sense of whether this is a fit. If it is not, that is worth knowing early, and Dan will tell you.

Private pay, and what it changes

Cognitive Edge Counseling is private pay first. In practice that means two things.

• No insurance company decides how many sessions you get or how often you are seen. You and Dan decide.
• No mental health diagnosis gets submitted to an insurer to justify your care. For people holding clearances or facing licensing and promotion boards, that difference is not abstract.

Insurance is accepted but not required, and monthly superbills are available if you want to submit for out of network reimbursement. The pricing page lays out the rate plainly.

Who this practice is built for

Dan Klaasse is a combat veteran and former Marine Corps Scout Sniper. Most of the people who come here are veterans, active duty service members, police officers, firefighters, EMS, corrections officers, healthcare workers, and the families around them.

That background matters mainly because it removes a step. You do not have to explain the culture before you can explain the problem.

The practice also works with civilians and professionals carrying stress that has nowhere to go. You can see the full range on the counseling services page.

Starting

Call (989) 506-1172 or email the practice. Ask whatever you need to ask before booking anything. Plenty of people call once just to find out how it works and book weeks later, and that is a perfectly normal way to begin.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in emotional distress or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988.