About Therapy
Therapy can seem like a mysterious process. My hope is to provide some
information to make it more transparent!
FIRST STEPS: If you are interested in the possibility of engaging in treatment with me, please email or call to arrange an initial free telephone consultation. This will take about 10/15 minutes and we’ll discuss your concerns and how we might work together to address them. This will help to determine if my practice is a good fit for you.
VIRTUAL SERVICES: If you decide to work with me, we’ll set up an initial visit. All sessions will be conducted virtually (referred to as telehealth). You will need a good wifi connection and a private place free of distractions. You can use your phone, computer, or tablet for sessions. We will use "Google Meet," a confidential video-conferencing system. I will email you a link each week, you’ll click on it, and it will direct you to our virtual therapy room at our appointment time.
INTAKE SESSION: The first session or two will be considered an “intake session” which means I’ll ask you various questions in order to understand more about you in order to create a personalized treatment plan. This is also a great time for you to ask any questions you might have regarding treatment! I might ask you to fill out mental-health symptom rating scales. These are objective measures (questionnaires) that assess the severity of your concerns and help guide treatment.
DURATION: I typically ask patients to meet weekly. This gives us an opportunity to get to know one another and establish a safe, trusting connection. Treatment may eventually taper off to bi-weekly or as-needed check-in’s. The duration of therapy will depend on your individual needs and goals, as some concerns warrant shorter-term therapy (usually 12 sessions or less), and some longer-term therapy.
SESSION FORMAT: I typically begin each session with a check-in and collaboratively agree upon what we’ll discuss that day. Some approaches, like Prolonged Exposure, will be more structured than other types. I will generally ask you to do some “homework” in between sessions to practice whatever we’re working on. This is akin to visiting a personal trainer once a week – the session is beneficial for discussing needs and learning new skills, but the work you do in between sessions is ultimately what makes you stronger over time.
As therapy progresses, I will check-in with you often about its helpfulness and if I’m meeting your needs. I will likely ask you to fill out mental health questionnaires occasionally to assess how treatment is impacting you. We will end treatment once your goals have been met!