This question comes up frequently, especially for those who are starting therapy. There’s a lot of uncertainty regarding what to ask, how to move forward, what to do, etc. The goal in the initial 20-minute free consultation is for you to gather a good understanding of who I am, how I operate, as well as for me to understand more about you and what you need. This consultation provides an opportunity for you to feel if I can be a safe person for you to open up to. This can also be a time for you to see if my style of work feels comfortable by seeing if the strategies and approaches I utilize fit into how you perceive mental health.

The consultation may be a time for me to see if there are any areas that I might not be able to help you with. At which time, I’d address this during the consultation and refer to other therapists and resources that could better serve you. So please know it’s not all on your shoulders.

There is emphasis on finding a good fit in therapy as research shows that much of the healing takes place in the comfort and safety of the relationship itself, not just what is said. Many times, if mental health was damaged in a relationship(s) then in it’s exactly in healthy and safe relationships where healing will take place.

Simply by being here and reading this, you have already started. Being here shows a willingness and desire to talk to someone about what’s happening inside you. This awareness and willingness is one of the hardest parts to achieve in the mental healthy journey, so you’re already doing a brave thing.

Within the initial sessions, I ask many open-ended questions to learn more about you. I like to gather a well-rounded picture, not simply the reason that brought you into therapy. As we progress, my aim is to create a safe space for you to slowly open up and discuss deeper and more difficult topics.

If this safety is not taking place, we’ll address it and determine the reasonings and how to proceed.

I meet clients where they are while simultaneously pulling from research and theories to best address your needs. At the beginning, I ask questions about your history, what’s taking place in your life to create a sense of peace and safety. You may have a lot to bring into a session that you’d like to discuss where I serve as a listening ear and guide. At times, I pull in exercises during the session to help in real time or we’ll role play a scenario to see where we can improve our own communications.

Typically, when one comes to therapy you want to see changes in your life. And, at times, those changes are uncomfortable and scary. Change happens in discomfort. My job is to create safety in that discomfort so you can confidently navigate it. For this reason, I may have some hard truths to reveal, but I always ask first if you are ready to hear it. This is a journey we’re in together and healing takes time. I will give you the time.

This is a tricky question as the answer is different for every person. It also depends on a person’s history and goals for themselves. My therapeutic goal is to help you learn new tools to utilize in your day-to-day life so eventually you need me/therapy less and less.

I typically recommend starting therapy every week, especially if you are experiencing a crisis state. Weekly sessions allow me to know and understand you and your experiences faster and change is typically made quicker. Generally, I then begin tapering to biweekly, then monthly, quarterly, etc. More sessions allows us to discuss more topics and strategies. Of course, work is able to move forward without a weekly frequency, but it can be slower.

An example I like to give to clients when this question comes up is that of playing tennis. Say you’ve held your racquet a certain way for five years only to discover if you held it in a slightly different way then you’d be able to swing better/faster, etc. Holding it that way served you well for those five years, but now you’re ready to try a different way. It takes time to unlearn how you were previously holding it and then to reorient your brain and body to the new way of holding it. The new habit depends on how much you play and the quality of that play.

I am so glad you want to get the most out of this experience. It’s your active participation and dedication that is vital to your success. We may only meet once per week for an hour so much of the change takes place outside of our time together. To help with this process, I frequently assign homework assignments that will allow you to continue practicing new skills or engage in deeper thinking outside of the session that we can revisit the following week. Your participation in these can help with this process as well.

This is a valid question. Seeking out a therapist can allow for a third party perspective that your friends and family members might not have. A third party person can take a look at the whole picture without emotions or ties to certain decisions/choices a person may make. Plus, a licensed therapist like myself has extensive training with the purpose of informing clients about healthy versus unhealthy coping mechanism, relationship/communication patterns, and other areas of concern. I do hope you also have trusted people in your life you can turn to regarding life’s joys and problems, but sometimes more assistance is needed and that is okay.