What to expect in counseling.
I’m glad you’re here. I’m here to help make this decision for your individual or relationship counseling journey an easier one. The following explains the process and phases that therapy can go through. This is never a one size fits all approach, but I hope to help demystify the process, whether you are brand new to this process or not.
Phone Consultation.
I offer all prospective clients a complimentary consultation call (15 minutes for individuals and 30 minutes for couples). In this phone call, I will hear a little about what brings you to therapy, a little about your background, and start hearing your initial goals for therapy. I will discuss any questions you may have for me about my approach to therapy. We will also talk about logistics and scheduling. The main goal of the consultation call is to determine if we are a good therapeutic fit for one another and to see if I can meet your initial needs.
Your First Sessions.
First and foremost, take a breath. Our initial sessions are all about getting to know each other and making sure we are clear on what you want out of therapy. I want you to feel comfortable, because walking into a room and bearing your soul to a stranger takes time. My advice is to be patient in this process. We’ll continue to determine if we are a good fit for one another along the way. We’ll also come up with a plan for how often we should meet. You can expect in the beginning we will meet more frequently to build rapport. I’ll help you determine frequency based on your needs and resources.
Ongoing Counseling.
Once you have all of the initial nerves and jitters out of the way, the goal setting continues (arguably it never stops). I’ll know a lot more about how you show up to counseling and you’ll know a lot more about what therapy looks like for you. You may also know a little more about me. I always tell clients, you can ask me anything you want about myself - I just reserve the right to share what I think would be relevant to the therapeutic relationship. This is, after all, all about you!
Graduation & Termination.
Ending or reducing therapy will be different for everyone. I encourage you to bring any concerns to me if you are feeling stagnant in therapy. I’ll check in on this too throughout our time together. Some clients come to me from the beginning with a timeline in mind, some do not - both ways are fine! It's perfectly OK and natural to take a break from therapy if you feel good or you want to see how you feel. My goal is to get you “off the couch” and out there enjoying your life. Talk with me about your needs for therapy. I’m never going to make you “stay” in therapy longer than you need to - I believe clients are the experts on themselves.
Questions about fees & insurance?
Learn more about my transparent fees for services and use of
Out Of Network (OON) benefits.