Forest Ferns Counseling
Practice Overview
Openings now. Text-first, Deaf-led practice: our (810) 394-8921 line is text only, and you never need to make a phone call to get started.
Forest Ferns Counseling is a Deaf-led group practice founded by Dr. Mel Whalen, a culturally Deaf, nonbinary licensed clinical psychologist. Every clinician on our team came to this work after a first career, in education, art, research, advocacy and more, and that lived experience shapes how we practice. We work with children, teens, adults and families navigating complex trauma, chronic illness and medical trauma, identity shifts, neurodivergence, grief, and the strain of living in systems not built with them in mind.
Our team offers body-based trauma processing (MEMI, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing) alongside evidence-based talk therapies, and we are affirming by design: LGBTQ+ and trans clients and their families, Deaf and hard-of-hearing clients, neurodivergent clients, and multiply-marginalized clients are the starting point, not an afterthought. Sessions run by secure video with live captions and written chat anywhere in Michigan, with in-person sessions in Ypsilanti for children, teens and adults.
We take Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, Aetna, Priority Health, Sana and Curative, and we verify your benefits before the first session. Private pay is available with superbills, along with a limited number of sliding-scale openings. We also write gender-affirming care letters.
Text (810) 394-8921, email admin@forestfernscounseling.com, or request a therapist at forestfernscounseling.com/get-started. We respond within one business day and will match you with the clinician who best fits what brings you in.
Openings now. We've been there too. Affirming therapy for people in transition, and you don't have to have it figured out to begin.
Services
- •Therapy & Counseling
- •Mind-Body Connection
Specializations
Meet the Team
Fees & Insurance
Private pay is $125–$150 per session, depending on the clinician and session type. A limited number of sliding-scale openings are available at $70 per session with select clinicians; ask when you reach out. We verify your insurance benefits before your first session so you know what to expect, and we ask for 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule.
This practice accepts insurance. Contact them to confirm which plans are in-network and to verify your coverage.
We provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement. We do not accept Medicare, Medicaid or HAP.