Questions answered here.
Coming to counseling for the first time with a new therapist can raise all kinds of questions and concerns. I am happy to answer your questions via a free phone consultation, but I know that taking that first step can feel a bit overwhelming. I hope these answers to frequently asked questions can help put you at ease as well as assist you in determining if I am the right fit for you and your needs.
How often will I need to come to counseling and for how long?
I highly recommend weekly therapy for your first 4-8 sessions. Just like exercise is more effective when engaged regularly, therapy builds momentum most effectively when done regularly in the beginning.
Often, clients will experience a shift towards a sense of stability and positive momentum at some point in our process together. It can make sense to spread therapy out to every other week once that shift occurs. This helps you maintain gains and continue to build positive changes.
A brief course of therapy is considered 8-12 sessions, which translates to 2-3 months. As long as there are no additional disruptions in life during the counseling process, clients often have a sense of moving in their desired direction at that point in time. From there, some clients feel comfortable wrapping up counseling while continuing to work towards their goals on their own. Others prefer to revisit and expand their initial goals.
Ultimately, the length of time you continue in counseling is up to you. I will always offer an honest assessment of the amount and frequency of therapy that is most likely to benefit you based on my personal experience, but only you know what is best for you and I will defer to your preferences.
Often, clients will experience a shift towards a sense of stability and positive momentum at some point in our process together. It can make sense to spread therapy out to every other week once that shift occurs. This helps you maintain gains and continue to build positive changes.
A brief course of therapy is considered 8-12 sessions, which translates to 2-3 months. As long as there are no additional disruptions in life during the counseling process, clients often have a sense of moving in their desired direction at that point in time. From there, some clients feel comfortable wrapping up counseling while continuing to work towards their goals on their own. Others prefer to revisit and expand their initial goals.
Ultimately, the length of time you continue in counseling is up to you. I will always offer an honest assessment of the amount and frequency of therapy that is most likely to benefit you based on my personal experience, but only you know what is best for you and I will defer to your preferences.
How long do sessions last and what do they cost?
Sessions are typically 50 minutes and cost $200 each. The rate does not vary for individuals versus couples, I charge based on my time. On rare occassions an extended session may be needed and agreed upon in advance, my rate for 90 minute sessions is $300.
Do you accept insurance?
No, I intentionally choose not to be paneled with insurance companies. In my experience, the freedom that comes from contracting directly with my clients allows me to do my best possible work. While this may make counseling a more significant financial investment for you, you may also find that you receive more "bang for your buck" when you have the ability to fully engage your own counseling process without the interference or oversight of your insurance company.
If you are exploring utilizing your insurance benefits, I am considered an "out-of-network" provider. If you have out-of-network mental health benefits, you may be eligible to seek reimbursement from your insurance carrier for a portion of my fees. I am also able to accept payments from HSA or FSA accounts. Both of these options may help make counseling more affordable for you without compromising your ability to make direct decisions about your care.
If utilizing your insurance is essential to you, I fully respect your choice and will be happy to provide you with referrals to similar providers in the area who accept your insurance plan.
If you are exploring utilizing your insurance benefits, I am considered an "out-of-network" provider. If you have out-of-network mental health benefits, you may be eligible to seek reimbursement from your insurance carrier for a portion of my fees. I am also able to accept payments from HSA or FSA accounts. Both of these options may help make counseling more affordable for you without compromising your ability to make direct decisions about your care.
If utilizing your insurance is essential to you, I fully respect your choice and will be happy to provide you with referrals to similar providers in the area who accept your insurance plan.
What days and times are you available?
I currently offer appointments Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. Some clients prefer to come at the same day and time regularly, others prefer to change the day and time from session to session in order to accommodate variable commitments.
I also offer telehealth appointments, which offers convenience and flexibility that may make daytime appointments workable for you.
I do not regularly offer evening or weekend availability in order to balance my work with my own needs to care for myself and my relationships. I recognize that for some clients these are the only hours they are consistently able to attend therapy and I regret that I am not able to work with everyone who may be a good fit for me.
If this is the case for you, I highly recommend my colleagues at the CanalScape Counseling Collective who will be more able to accommodate your scheduling needs.
I also offer telehealth appointments, which offers convenience and flexibility that may make daytime appointments workable for you.
I do not regularly offer evening or weekend availability in order to balance my work with my own needs to care for myself and my relationships. I recognize that for some clients these are the only hours they are consistently able to attend therapy and I regret that I am not able to work with everyone who may be a good fit for me.
If this is the case for you, I highly recommend my colleagues at the CanalScape Counseling Collective who will be more able to accommodate your scheduling needs.
Do you work with teens or children?
I enjoy teens and kids and believe therapy can be incredibly beneficial to them, but honestly, I know my skill set and approach is best suited for adults. As a result, I only work with adults and refer out youth to other providers who are better suited than I am.
If you are looking for a therapist for your child, teen, or family there are several other therapists at the CanalScape Counseling Collective who could be a great fit for your needs.
If you are looking for a therapist for your child, teen, or family there are several other therapists at the CanalScape Counseling Collective who could be a great fit for your needs.
Can just talking in therapy really make much of a difference?
Yes! I see it happen every day, it's why I love my job. While it may feel to you as if you are "just talking", we'll be having a unique type of conversation that will begin to shift how you think, feel, and act.
If you are coming for individual counseling, the factors most likely to influence your ability to reach your goals include your own level of commitment to change and our ability to develop a trusting, meaningful relationship together.
If you are coming for couples counseling, the same factors apply plus a few more. In my experience, the couples who have the most success are those where both partners are 1) willing to be self-reflective about their own contributions to relationship issues and 2) open-minded about hearing the other person's perspective.
The degree or difficulty of the problems you bring to counseling plays a role, but often your engagement in the process and our ability to form an authentic, synergistic relationship play a larger role.
If you are coming for individual counseling, the factors most likely to influence your ability to reach your goals include your own level of commitment to change and our ability to develop a trusting, meaningful relationship together.
If you are coming for couples counseling, the same factors apply plus a few more. In my experience, the couples who have the most success are those where both partners are 1) willing to be self-reflective about their own contributions to relationship issues and 2) open-minded about hearing the other person's perspective.
The degree or difficulty of the problems you bring to counseling plays a role, but often your engagement in the process and our ability to form an authentic, synergistic relationship play a larger role.
How would you describe your style as a therapist?
I like to help people move as quickly as possible towards the changes they want to make happen in their lives and in their relationships. That means I am at the ready to try new things to find what works for you in your experience of counseling and to do as much of that as is helpful. I will assess with you how things are going and take your feedback into account.
My favorite tool in my toolbox is questions. I ask lots and lots of questions that will help you expand your perspective, find new possibilities, and engage new solutions. I consider myself a co-detective with you and we will search together for clues that can unlock what you are looking for in your life.
I focus primarily on your experiences in the present and short-term past. I often find that we can change the way we relate to our past simply by changing the way we relate to our present.
I deeply value the uniqueness of each person who comes through my door. While I bring my knowledge and experience to our conversations, I see my primary role as assisting you with discovering your own wisdom, purpose, and sense of direction. I truly privilege your self-assessments and preferences in our process.
I often work with clients to co-create "experiments" for you to try between sessions. We then can assess what was or wasn't helpful about the experiment and go from there. These typically are not "homework" assignments such as worksheets or written exercises, though I can offer that for clients who enjoy that form of learning. More likely these "experiments" will be actions to try, areas to observe more closely, conversations to initiate, journaling prompts to spark your reflections, new ways of thinking to engage, or whatever else emerges...
My favorite tool in my toolbox is questions. I ask lots and lots of questions that will help you expand your perspective, find new possibilities, and engage new solutions. I consider myself a co-detective with you and we will search together for clues that can unlock what you are looking for in your life.
I focus primarily on your experiences in the present and short-term past. I often find that we can change the way we relate to our past simply by changing the way we relate to our present.
I deeply value the uniqueness of each person who comes through my door. While I bring my knowledge and experience to our conversations, I see my primary role as assisting you with discovering your own wisdom, purpose, and sense of direction. I truly privilege your self-assessments and preferences in our process.
I often work with clients to co-create "experiments" for you to try between sessions. We then can assess what was or wasn't helpful about the experiment and go from there. These typically are not "homework" assignments such as worksheets or written exercises, though I can offer that for clients who enjoy that form of learning. More likely these "experiments" will be actions to try, areas to observe more closely, conversations to initiate, journaling prompts to spark your reflections, new ways of thinking to engage, or whatever else emerges...
What will our first session together be like?
In our first session, whether you are coming individually or as a couple, I will offer to take the lead in introducing you to the counseling process and asking you the kinds of questions that tend to best help my clients kick-start the change process. We will look at your strong suits and imagine the type of future you would like to live into. We will also talk a bit about the problems that are bringing you into counseling, the history of those problems, and any attempts you may have already made to make changes.
If you already have an agenda for our first conversation and prefer to take the lead yourself, I am glad to dive right in to what you would like to talk about in whatever order works best for you.
You may find that 50 minutes goes by pretty fast and that we won't have a chance to cover everything. I like to say it's a bit like getting started on a jigsaw puzzle: we begin by pouring the pieces out onto the table and flipping over a few to look at more closely. In the sessions that follow, we'll turn over a few more pieces and begin putting the edges together. Pretty soon, we'll have a clearer sense of the emerging picture and the pieces will start to come together more rapidly.
You also may prefer to withhold certain problems or pieces of context from me until you have established more trust in me; I believe in allowing clients to share what they want to share when they are ready to share it. I do not have required, predetermined assessment questions you must answer nor do I pry if you decline to answer anything I may ask.
If you already have an agenda for our first conversation and prefer to take the lead yourself, I am glad to dive right in to what you would like to talk about in whatever order works best for you.
You may find that 50 minutes goes by pretty fast and that we won't have a chance to cover everything. I like to say it's a bit like getting started on a jigsaw puzzle: we begin by pouring the pieces out onto the table and flipping over a few to look at more closely. In the sessions that follow, we'll turn over a few more pieces and begin putting the edges together. Pretty soon, we'll have a clearer sense of the emerging picture and the pieces will start to come together more rapidly.
You also may prefer to withhold certain problems or pieces of context from me until you have established more trust in me; I believe in allowing clients to share what they want to share when they are ready to share it. I do not have required, predetermined assessment questions you must answer nor do I pry if you decline to answer anything I may ask.
What do I need to bring with me?
The only thing you absolutely have to bring to counseling is yourself!
Prior to our first appointment, I will send you a link to securely fill out all of my initial paperwork online. Most clients enter their payment information during this paperwork process, which is then securely stored and can be used each session whether or not you have your wallet on hand. If you prefer to pay by check or cash, please bring it with you as payment is expected when we meet.
Additionally, some clients like to bring a notebook to jot down notes during our conversation, others like to take notes by phone, and others simply participate in the flow of conversation without feeling a need to capture anything in writing. Some clients also like to journal or write down brief reflections between sessions and bring them in to discuss during our time together. It's up to you!
Prior to our first appointment, I will send you a link to securely fill out all of my initial paperwork online. Most clients enter their payment information during this paperwork process, which is then securely stored and can be used each session whether or not you have your wallet on hand. If you prefer to pay by check or cash, please bring it with you as payment is expected when we meet.
Additionally, some clients like to bring a notebook to jot down notes during our conversation, others like to take notes by phone, and others simply participate in the flow of conversation without feeling a need to capture anything in writing. Some clients also like to journal or write down brief reflections between sessions and bring them in to discuss during our time together. It's up to you!
I had a bad experience of counseling in the past...
Ugh. I am so sorry that happened to you. Therapy is so personal and it can be very difficult to get up the nerve to share your life with a stranger. When that person fails to understand you, it can feel painful and discouraging at a time when your hope is already running low.
If you have had a bad experience, I will want to hear about what didn't work well for you so that I can work together with you to avoid the same mistakes.
If you have had a bad experience, I will want to hear about what didn't work well for you so that I can work together with you to avoid the same mistakes.
I have never been to counseling before...
That's okay! I really enjoy when people come into therapy with an open-mind about what they will experience. I will help walk you through the process and talk frequently with you about what we are doing in counseling and why. Therapy often feels like you are simply having a conversation with a trusted friend or consultant, but you will find that these conversations open up remarkable new possibilities. There can be discomfort at times, but overall most clients I have introduced to counseling have been pleasantly surprised at how meaningful and enjoyable the process can be.
I think we need couples counseling, but my partner doesn't want to come, what should I do?
This happens all the time! I can still help you.
A free phone consultation with me can be enough for you to figure out how to engage your loved one.
If you need more support, you can go ahead and get the ball rolling by meeting with me individually. I can help you begin to work on the relationship on your own. I can then assist you in finding the most effective way to invite your partner into the therapy process. Often, partners start to notice the changes you are making and become curious about the process, which makes your invitation that much more appealing.
If your partner ultimately remains unable to participate, not to worry. It's also entirely possible to make significant improvements to your relationship through individual counseling that focuses on understanding and shifting relationship dynamics.
A free phone consultation with me can be enough for you to figure out how to engage your loved one.
If you need more support, you can go ahead and get the ball rolling by meeting with me individually. I can help you begin to work on the relationship on your own. I can then assist you in finding the most effective way to invite your partner into the therapy process. Often, partners start to notice the changes you are making and become curious about the process, which makes your invitation that much more appealing.
If your partner ultimately remains unable to participate, not to worry. It's also entirely possible to make significant improvements to your relationship through individual counseling that focuses on understanding and shifting relationship dynamics.
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