We start with a free consultation as an opportunity to connect with each other and determine fit for the therapeutic relationship. From there, we schedule our first session, explore background information and goals. We meet weekly (typically) until the established goals have been met (goals can change throughout the course of therapy), and ta da! Success!

But of course we are all different and have our own life journeys that deserve a far better elaboration of the process than the summary described above.

Uncertainty in general can be uncomfortable to say the least. Uncertainty surrounding therapy services, even for those who have tried therapy before, can have an additional layer of uncertainty or anxiety. Hopefully this demystifies the process and helps you know what to expect from therapy, or at least therapy with me. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have, so I can further demystify the process!

Step 1: Like what you see enough to want to meet me via a free 15-minute phone consultation. In this call, you get to let me know a little bit about what’s going on, ask me any questions you feel would be helpful for you to know, and provide me any additional info you feel would be helpful for me to know. Ideally, we determine we are indeed a good fit for a professional therapist-client relationship!

Step 2: Get our first session scheduled, I set you up on SimplePractice (the HIPAA compliant patient portal I use) and send you paperwork to complete prior to our first session. For all clients (individual, couples, families, teens), the following paperwork applies: Notice of Privacy Policies, Informed Consent for Psychotherapy, Practice Policies, Consent for Telehealth Consultation, Additional Policies and Fees, Credit Card Information, Good Faith Estimate, Standard Intake Questionnaire, and Demographics.

For couples, I also like adding in an attachment questionnaire for additional background information.

For youth/teens (minors) with parents who have been married and are now separated/divorced, I will need proof of custody to be verified prior to starting treatment. This can be in the form of court documentation that verifies who has the authority to consent to treatment for a minor. If there is no available court documentation, I will need both biological parents to consent to the treatment prior to me providing services to a minor. **The amount of paperwork may sound daunting, but please feel free to ask any questions if anything comes up for you!**

Step 3: First session in which we discuss the informed consent, therapy process, limits to confidentiality, you get to ask me any questions or express any concerns you might have, I get to hear more of your story, and we collaboratively establish goals we plan to work towards in our time together.

Step 4: Continue working together towards those goals through weekly sessions (maybe more or less frequent depending on individual needs and where we’re at in the course of treatment). Sometimes life happens and goals may change, which is totally okay – we just adjust our goals and treatment plan accordingly!

Step 5: Goals seem to have been met and no additional goals or needs have come up. Hooray! Now we start phasing out of treatment, spacing out sessions, and working on your ability to maintain all the new perspectives and skills you have learned and implemented during our journey together.

The ultimate goal is for you to not need me, though the door is always open for you to return at any time should you choose to!

**There are multiple reasons therapy might end – goals have been met, financial challenges, we aren’t a good fit, moving out of state, needing a higher level of care, etc. Please feel free to communicate with me at anytime during our journey together if any issues/concerns arise so we can work together on a solution to ensure your needs are being met as best as possible.**