WHAT TO EXPECT

We speak briefly to all prospective clients (or their parent/guardian) by phone prior to setting up an initial consultation.  The initial consultation lasts one hour. This meeting provides us with a chance to discuss your interest in coming to therapy at this time, and to see if we are a good fit for working together.  If we decide to proceed, we will typically meet on a weekly basis for 45 minutes per session.

Individual therapy is used to treat a wide number of emotional difficulties, life transitions and psychological disorders.  A person does not need to have a psychological disorder to benefit from therapy. Often people start therapy during periods of life change and intense stress, and after a brief course of treatment, many people feel better and decide to stop therapy. Other people have more pervasive challenges or difficulties, and benefit from being in therapy for a longer period of time.

Individual therapy involves regular meetings between a licensed therapist and a client.  For kids and teens, regular or intermittent check-in meetings with parent(s)/guardian(s) also occur.  Together, we come up with goals for your treatment, and check-in regularly to be sure that we are on track with our goals.

One of the most important aspects of therapy is that the client feels that she/he/they can trust the therapist, and feel comfortable talking to the therapist. Topics such as a person's day-to-day functioning, struggles, fears, dreams, relationships, past experiences and hopes for the future often come up in therapy.  The therapist's role in treatment is to provide a safe and supportive environment where the client and the therapist can work together towards achieving the client's therapeutic goals.  Therapy is intended to facilitate growth, healing and change.  Therapy is a tool for living life to the very best of your ability.

There are many different therapeutic modalities and treatment approaches that people find helpful.  We adhere to an eclectic approach in that treatment is designed to achieve the client + therapist's specific treatment goals.  Treatment may incorporate tools and insights from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Exposure Therapy and/or Play Therapy.  Our work may also involve the use of mindfulness meditation / relaxation exercises, art, journaling, games and more.