Reliance Counseling, LLC.

Reliance Counseling, LLC. is a provider of mental wellness, therapeutic intervention, and clinical expertise directed toward the treatment of all individuals seeking Reliance’s services. Incorporated in 2016, Reliance was the culmination of the lifetime experience of it’s owner and chief clinician, James A. Lee.

Since 2004 James has provided clinical social work services to a variety of populations. Specializing in treatment of individuals suffering mental illness, personality disorders, thought disorders, substance abuse and dependence, legal problems, and severe psychiatric conditions, Reliance is not short in ability to address your needs, both immediate, or in the long-term.

Reliance believes in the power of change that is inherent in all individuals, even those who seem least likely to succeed. James believes that everyone is responsible for participating in their own recovery process, but may need some help to do it along the way.

The founding principles of social work practice that drove James’ heart to found Reliance Counseling is rooted in his own personal story. This history of struggle, endurance, revitalization, and achievement fostered a desire to enable and motivate others with the power of resilience that comes from winning the battles we all fight, both big and small!

James spent ten years providing outpatient services where he observed that mental illness and chemical dependence issues, otherwise known as “co-occurring disorders” were low priority. Agencies seldom have time and resources to focus on one or the other, let alone “both” sides of the mental health and substance dependence matter. James became a social worker to work for change, and this dichotomy was unacceptable. Reliance was born out of this frustration as a possible solution for the those that it is able to serve.

Reliance aims to grow from a single practitioner to many serving these same principles. James wants to see a practice that employs others with a heart for social work and orient the level of care from his family to yours. Large organizations quickly lose capacity to remember their roots and the ones who need them most can fall through the cracks. Reliance seeks to be a solution to those in the Southwestern Wayne County and Downriver communities desiring purposeful and direct service.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to James for a consultation. It is free. You can fill out a consult form here, stop by our Romulus location by appointment for a meet & greet, or call.

Reliance Counseling, LLC. is fully licensed and insured to practice and provide services in the State of Michigan.

Cash, Credit, and Sliding Scale Fees Available.

Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Care Network, Humana, Health Alliance Plan, Priority Health, Cigna, Aetna, United Healthcare/Community, Blue Cross Complete, Compsych and Medicare insurance accepted.

Service delivery takes on many forms and functions when it comes to delicate life, mind, and matters of the heart. A therapist’s specialty is their calling card and often what brings you to them in the first place.

Individuals are not the only ones who benefit from therapy. When couples and/or family become part of the equation, they then become the person served. The plan is driven based on intentionally driven focal points that foster recovery and progress for who and what matters most to you.

Reliance Counseling, LLC. focuses on crafting an approach that is unique to the individual’s needs. Goals are crafted with the person served right at the center of it all. Individuals, families, couples, and adolescents receive an initial consultation. Then an intake occurs and areas of address are identified. A treatment plan is written along with goals, objectives, and an endpoint in mind. Every case is different. The length of time therapy is needed is identified and re-evaluated based on progress.

THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS

Reliance provides an eclectic approach that allows for adaption to many issues, many individuals, and is not limited to a singular discipline or practice. James is most comfortable framing therapy sessions from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) perspective but is not limited to just these principles.

CBT is best suited for short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy through practical and problem-solving interventions. Changing the way we thing and behave often changes the way we feel, thus covering many topics. CBT is great but not limited to anxiety, depression, relationship problems, sleeping difficulties, drug and alcohol abuse, and even career related problems.

ENVIRONMENT AND AWARENESS

Reliance also favors the utilization of a mindful based dynamic that improves awareness of one’s self and how they interact with their environment and the people in it. This tool is found at the center of an approach known as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, a distant cousin of CBT. Extreme emotional swings, inflexible concrete thinking, and crisis after crisis are characteristics of an emotional pendulum that is best suited to this type of treatment. Reliance borrows techniques that suit the individual’s plan and needs and adapts what is needed to improve their outcomes.

DBT is a long-term based approach and is best suited for building on strengths and refocusing on the present and applying it to daily life. Thinking of that which is good, true, and admirable about our experiences and life. Mindful based techniques emphasize limitation of distractions and worry, reducing anxiety, thought blocking, and anger or self-harming behaviors.

If therapy alone is incapable of addressing crisis or behavioral concerns, Reliance Counseling, LLC. utilizes a professional referral network that adds access to Psychiatric Medication Management with expert Physicians and Nurse Practitioners. You are not alone in your fight to restore sanity to you or your family’s life, and whether medication is your choice or not, the option is available for consideration.

FAITH & SPIRITUALITY

Reliance also values the integration of faith-based principles into the wellness of the individual. Considering the Christian Scriptures sufficient for instruction, conviction, correction, and training in righteousness. James’ clinical and spiritual training enable a unique capacity to handle those seeking a Christian based therapeutic approach, as well as the integration of professional training and clinical based experience.

Reliance Counseling, LLC. does not limit service delivery based on faith, or lack thereof. With experience in serving adherents of Christianity, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judaism, Islam, Baha’i, Nation of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, Agnosticism, and Secularism are welcome here. Reliance Counseling, LLC. makes no determination of service based on age, ethnicity, gender, creed, religion, or sexual preference.

Christianity based treatment is best-suited for those looking to better understand the Christian Scriptures and application to their daily life. This approach fundamentally addresses mental health, relationships, substance abuse, and behavioral problems from this perspective. Reliance considers Jesus Christ to be the foremost authority on what we struggle with. This approach ultimately seeks to foster change in the every day lives of people and inspire a passion for Christ as their own catalyst for change.

James A. Lee is a graduate of the Wayne County Community College District (2007) and Spring Arbor University (2009, 2015). Completing a liberal arts degree and progressing into social work, his focus culminated in a graduate degree with clinical focus.

He has possessed a social work degree since 2009 and maintains a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) – Clinical designation. He is also credentialed by the Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC).

Versed in case management, medical social work, psychiatric disorders, mood and personality disorders, and behavioral health management his expertise is diversified. Also specializing in forensic casework his experience with the criminal justice system encompasses more than a decade of expert knowledge to bring to the table.

James has vast experience working closely with judges, magistrates, referees, friend of the court, and attorneys. Uniquely equipped through patient and client advocacy, he has also worked in the Michigan No-Fault auto case management industry. James has full capacity to service individuals in need of legal advocacy as well as work closely with their legal representation, parole or probation supervisors, or other entities involved in their adjudicative process.

James maintains full-time employment as a certified forensic examiner for the State of Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry. Here his job duties entail diagnostic services to the criminal justice system and psychiatric treatment for criminal defendants adjudicated incompetent to stand trial or acquitted by not guilty by reason of insanity.

For the last fifteen years he has remained intimately acquainted with members of the recovery community and twelve-step programs of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

James identifies as a Christian and emphasizes his worldview as a focal point from which he provides services and renders care to others. He believes in the importance as a clinician to provide neutral and compassionate care that furthers the instruction of Jesus Christ to love one’s neighbor as they love themselves (Mk 12:31).

Last but not least, James is a family man who understands the challenges of family life and its toll on career, mental health, and every day life. These perspectives are helpful in providing services to individuals, families, couples, and adolescents as it equips him with a point of view that empathizes and supports when struggles arise.

Reliance Counseling, LLC. is your premier provider of professional assessment. The extent to which the loss of your driver’s license impacts everyday life, career, family, and mental health knows no end. Reliance understands and empathizes with this plight and wants to partner with you on your road back to freedom.

Reliance services individuals regardless of legal representation and can provide experience, knowledge, and advocacy to aid in facilitation of the restoration process.

Restoration programs can be expensive and time consuming and there are many options to choose from. The challenge of selecting the best course of action is daunting to say the least. You need a program that is designed for you and an expert who is capable of working alongside yourself, support systems, and your legal representation if you have it. Whether you work with an attorney or not, Reliance Counseling, LLC. is your best choice in the Southwestern Wayne County and Downriver communities.

Reliance Counseling, LLC. is competent in evaluating your circumstances and next course of action. We have identified three phases to help you in this process:

Post-Adjudication Phase: After sentencing and removal, suspension, or restriction of driving privileges, we will work together to craft a treatment regimen that satisfies the courts requirements to request a hearing and have a solid-standing.

Treatment Phase: It is necessary that you are involved in substance abuse treatment in some capacity. Individual, group therapy, and programs marketed toward offenders are all good options, however they may not be long-term. Therapy alone will not improve your outcome. Involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are proven to be ideal in treating substance use disorders as well as rehabilitating individuals with driving offenses. Your reinstatement hinges on treatment validity and a program of at least 1-year garners your best chance when it is time for a hearing.

Hearing Phase: There are timelines for the submission of evaluations and supporting documents. Navigating this process and coordinating these tasks can prove difficult and is not easy to accomplish independently. You will need an advocate like Reliance to support you professionally through these matters as well as provide you with respectable and competent treatment that reflects well on your bid to regain licensure.

Reliance will consult with you and your legal counsel as needed. We can also coordinate with your probation officer to provide updates regarding treatment and implement interventions that support court requirements during this time. When you are eligible for reinstatement we will provide you with several high-quality assessments:

SOS-258 Substance Use Evaluation for alcohol and drugs. This form is mandatory and used in tandem with the SOS-257 Request for Hearing form. Reliance will complete the document during the evaluation process and ensure accuracy of the information therein.

Your assessment will include data that encompasses criteria outlined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). This assessment criteria provides the hearing Judge with information necessary to answer questions regarding your past, present, and future regarding your substance abuse. Potential for relapse, biological and physical health conditions, mental health, readiness to change, and potential for future problems all play a major role in decision of the Judge regarding your license. Reliance’s evaluation process ensures your most comprehensive chance. This option is included in the standard evaluation fee.

ONSITE DRUG SCREENING

Your assessment requires a laboratory report from a 12-Panel Urinalysis Drug Screen. These screens are important and their is a cottage-industry that capitalizes on the expense that is incurred in drug screens. We partner with an industry leader to reduce the expense of the screen itself saving you hundreds of dollars in the process. Reliance will conduct and on-site collection and have the results delivered to yourself, attorney, and Reliance for use in the evaluation process. We also include confirmation testing for any positive results that may be due to prescribed medications necessary for chronic health conditions, which explains to the Judge what created the positive screen and provide subsequent evidence supporting the need for the medication causing the result. This option is included in the standard evaluation fee. You may waive the test and secure your own from an independent provider if you elect to do so.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE SUBTLE SCREENING INVENTORY (SASSI)

Your assessment will also include the renowned Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI). This is a psychological screening measure that is employed through the computer and is a multiple choice format. This test will deliver an expert summary of results that are interpreted based on your choices and give the hearing Judge an expert analysis of the likelihood of a substance use disorder and whether or not you are likely to change or remain the same in your using habits. If you want your license back, this instrument is a powerful tool for your cause. Reliance provides this as an optional instrument to include in your assessment.

BEHAVIORS & ATTITUDES DRINKING & DRIVING SCALE (BADDS)

Your assessment will also include the evidence-based psychological scale that measures attitudes, behaviors, and intervention effectiveness related to impaired driving, known as the Behaviors & Attitudes Drinking & Driving Scale (BADDS). For individuals who were involved in a driving offense with alcohol, this instrument additionally demonstrates how your attitude and behavior at the time of the incident and again at the time of your evaluation. Engaging in treatment with Reliance Counseling, LLC. at the time of your sentencing allows a “pre-test” to be administered that allows a follow up evaluation one year later to clinically illustrate your progress and improvement. Reliance provides this as an optional instrument to include in your assessment.

Lastly, you will receive copies of the evaluation and accompanying test results if you elected them as a part of the assessment process. These documents will also be provided to the Michigan Department of State or your attorney if represented by one.

Nervous about therapy? Consultations are free. Messages are cheaper than free! Questions get answered when they are asked, so let Reliance Counseling know what you are thinking! You can email or phone me through our Psychology Today listing.