Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

Marissa Moore is a licensed mental health professional who owns Mending Hearts Counseling in Southwest Missouri. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from South University in West Palm Beach, Florida, and is dual-licensed as an LPC in Missouri and LCPC in Kansas. With 11 years of experience in the mental health field spanning substance use treatment centers, group homes, emergency rooms, and private practice, Marissa specializes in providing affirming counseling services to the LGBTQIA+ community. She is a member of OpenPath Collective and maintains verified profiles on Psychology Today, TherapyDen, and multiple therapist directories. Marissa’s clinical writing has appeared on PsychCentral and American Addiction Centers (Oxford Treatment Center, Greenhouse Treatment Center). At Mentalyc, she contributes clinical content grounded in her direct practice experience across diverse treatment settings.

How to Write SMART Goals in Therapy (With Clinical Examples)

Free PDFTreatment Planning

Writing SMART goals in therapy means turning a broad aim like “reduce anxiety” into a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound objective that documentation, treatment planning and insurance review can use. Use the free SMART goals generator below to draft a goal and step objectives. Therapists are trained to think in broad aims like “improve […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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21 min read
What Are DAP Notes? How to Write Them (Example, Template, Cheat Sheet)

Free tool2 free PDFsSession Documentation

A DAP note is a therapy progress note with three sections, and the acronym DAP stands for Data, Assessment, and Plan. Many counselors choose the DAP method over SOAP or BIRP for its ease of structure. Fill one in below with the free DAP note template. A DAP note is shorter than a SOAP note […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 21, 2026
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11 min read
Notes for Neurodivergent Therapists: Documentation That Works

Free PDFSession Documentation

Neurodivergent and disabled therapists can meet the same note standards with workflows built for how they work: voice-to-text dictation, AI note drafting, text-expansion snippets and minimum viable note templates. The strategies here are for clinicians who are themselves neurodivergent or disabled; writing notes for ADHD or neurodivergent clients is a different topic. If you have […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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27 min read
15 Mental Health Progress Note Templates and Examples for Therapists

Free toolFree PDFSession Documentation

The 15 mental health progress note templates for therapy notes on this page – SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, PIE, case management, couples, group, play therapy and custom formats – each come with a full worked example. Fill one in below with our free template. The free template is the quick start; for real clients, […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 21, 2026
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19 min read
Therapeutic Alliance: A Complete Guide

Therapeutic Relationship

Research consistently shows that the strength of the therapeutic alliance predicts therapeutic outcomes, often more than the specific technique or modality used. Across all therapeutic modalities, a relationship built on collaboration and trust is what allows clients to share more of themselves, take emotional risks, and do the work that leads to change. The therapeutic […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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14 min read
90853 CPT Code: Description, Reimbursement & Group Therapy Billing

Billing & CPT Codes

CPT code 90853 is used to bill group therapy: group psychotherapy (other than of a multiple-family group), delivered to several clients together in one session and billed once for each participating client. Multiple-family groups use 90849 instead. CPT codes are the numbers third-party payors use to reimburse specific mental health services, and they keep the […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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11 min read
Private Practice Counseling Policies and Procedures

Private Practice & Business

Private practice counseling policies and procedures go in your initial paperwork, one section per rule, from your fee agreement and telehealth policy to the legal limits of confidentiality and what happens if you are incapacitated. Each section below covers one policy and what to include. What you decide to put in your private practice policies […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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10 min read
Can Psychotherapy Notes be Subpoenaed?

Session Documentation

Psychotherapy notes can be subpoenaed, but a subpoena for them is rare: HIPAA protects them more than the rest of the client’s record, so subpoenas usually reach progress notes and treatment summaries instead. Subpoenas are tricky to deal with because psychotherapy notes aren’t a part of the client’s official medical record. The laws and ethics regarding subpoenas […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 21, 2026
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6 min read
Therapist Burnout and Compassion Fatigue: Signs, Causes, Prevention

Free PDFTherapeutic Relationship

Therapist burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged, unmanaged work stress, and it shows up as depletion, detachment from clients, and a reduced sense of accomplishment. As therapists, we do emotionally demanding work and absorb our clients’ stress and trauma daily, often leaving little time to care for ourselves. […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 21, 2026
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9 min read
90791 CPT Code: Complete Description (+Reimbursement Details 2026)

Billing & CPT Codes

CPT code 90791 is the psychiatric diagnostic evaluation without medical services: the intake assessment you bill for a new client, usually in the first session, where you gather history, assess mental status and reach a diagnosis. Prescribers who add medical services to the evaluation bill 90792 instead. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are used for […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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9 min read
CPT Code 90834: Complete Description (+Reimbursement Details 2026)

Billing & CPT Codes

You bill 90834 when you spend 38 to 52 minutes in psychotherapy with your client. Less than that is 90832; 53 minutes or more is 90837. Medicare pays about $113.90 in an office in 2026. If you also provide an E/M service, bill the add-on +90836 with it instead. CPT Code 90834 Description CPT code […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 19, 2026
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8 min read
Contact (service) Note: Documenting Between-Session Communication

Free PDFSession Documentation

Write a contact note in the client’s chart each time you reach a client, or someone on their behalf, between sessions: who, when, why and what was decided. A call to reschedule, an email about a records request and a no-show all count, and some practices bill for contact notes. Documenting all interactions with clients […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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8 min read
Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals: Free and Low-Cost CEUs for Therapists in 2026

Therapeutic Relationship

Continuing education (CE) is a licensing requirement for therapists, counselors, social workers, and psychologists in every U.S. state. The number of credits, approved providers, and topic mandates vary by state and profession, but the obligation is universal. I’m licensed in two different states and practice virtually in both. One state requires 2 hours of suicide […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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11 min read
PIE Notes Mental Health (With Examples)

4 free PDFsSession Documentation

A PIE note is a short, problem-focused progress note in three sections: Problem, Intervention and Evaluation. Like all mental health documentation, it helps mental health professionals track progress from session to session, bill insurance, and justify why the client is there. Want to see it? See a real PIE note generated by Mentalyc AI: PIE […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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4 min read
Therapeutic Interventions List: How to Document Each in Progress Notes

Free PDFSession Documentation

The intervention line, the part of a progress note that names what you did to move the client toward a goal, is often the hardest one to write. Below is a list of therapeutic interventions organized by category, each with a ready-to-paste example of how to document it in a progress note, the detail payers […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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18 min read
Treatment Plan: What It Is, Examples & How to Write One

Free tool2 free PDFsTreatment Planning

A treatment plan is a collaborative written document, created by a client and clinician, that records the client’s diagnosis, sets specific measurable goals and objectives, and outlines the interventions and timeline used to reach them. It serves as the roadmap for therapy and is reviewed and updated as the client progresses. The four complete treatment […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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25 min read
Psychotherapy Notes (Process Notes) vs Progress Notes: HIPAA Rules

Session Documentation

Process notes (psychotherapy notes) and progress notes are two legally different kinds of session notes under HIPAA. The two categories look similar from the outside, but they have completely different legal protections, required content, and storage rules. Get the line wrong and your “psychotherapy notes” lose the extra HIPAA protection they were supposed to have. […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 19, 2026
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10 min read
How to Write a PIRP Note (With Example)

Free PDFSession Documentation

PIRP notes are a problem-focused method of clinical documentation with four sections: Problem, Intervention, Response and Plan. They are easy to write, so if you are a mental health professional considering a new note format for your therapeutic sessions, PIRP notes may be the right style. Want to see it? See a real PIRP note […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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6 min read
How to Write BIRP Notes (With Examples & Templates)

Free toolFree PDFSession Documentation

A BIRP note is a therapy progress note in four sections, Behavior, Intervention, Response, and Plan, built around how the client responds to what you do in session. Build one below with the free BIRP note template. What is a BIRP note? A BIRP note is clinical documentation that mental health professionals and some healthcare […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 21, 2026
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5 min read
How to Write Effective GIRP Notes (Examples and Tips for Therapists)

Free PDFSession Documentation

A GIRP note is a therapy progress note in four parts: Goal, Intervention, Response and Plan. It records the goal the client wants to work on, the intervention you used, the client’s response and the plan moving forward. GIRP Notes GIRP notes are a progress note format in four sections, Goals, Intervention, Response and Plan, […]

Marissa Moore, LPC, LCPC

October 20, 2026
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8 min read