• How do I get started?

 

The first step is to Request a New Patient Consultation. This will provide me with some basic information and times/days I can reach you by phone, at which point we will schedule a brief 10-15 minute phone call. The point of this call is to talk briefly about what’s coming up for you in life that you’d like to address in therapy. Then we can look at our calendars together and schedule an appointment and/or I will provide you with referrals to other people or services that might be helpful to you.

• How many sessions will it take for me to achieve my goals?

 

Every situation, individual, couple, family, and every context is different, so there is no one prescribed course of therapy. How much you get out of therapy directly correlates to how much you put into it, and how often or how long you come for before you see a change in your life is different for everyone. My objective is to help you find resources both internally and externally that you can bring to your life outside of the therapy room, allowing you to navigate life’s challenges more effectively. I also aim to help you build healthier relationships so that your support network expands well beyond the 4 walls of the therapy room. All that said, I tend to think Carl Rogers said it best: “The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination.”

• Will my confidentiality be maintained?

 

The simple answer is yes. Therapy is a confidential process. Your visits, your personal information, and everything we talk about is private. Unless you make a written request to have any of your records released, no information about you leaves my office.

 

All that said, there are legal limitations to confidentiality. These are as follows:

1. State law requires all mental health providers to report suspected child abuse, elder abuse, or dependent abuse or neglect.

2. If you make a serious threat to harm another or yourself, I am legally obligated to report it to the authorities and/or warn the intended victim.

3. In some court proceedings involving child custody and those in which your emotional condition is an important issue, a judge may determine my testimony or your records are required for fair finding.

 

If you are concerned about confidentiality, please bring it up with me so we can discuss your concerns further.

• What if my concerns or problems are outside the scope of what you treat?

 

For this reason, the assessment process at the beginning is critical. I spend time on the phone initially with my clients to get some sense of their presenting concerns and we use the initial in-person consultation to get to know each other and cover exactly what it is you want to work on.

 

If we discover that you are wanting to work on something specific that is outside of my scope of treatment, I consider it part of my ethical duty to help connect you with local professionals who can help you. I keep an up-to-date list of quality resources and am happy to provide outside referrals throughout the process.

• How do I find the right therapist for me/my relationship/my family?

 

The most important element in therapy is trust with your therapist. You need to feel comfortable opening up about your life situation. And this is really only something you can determine based on how you feel when you sit face to face with a therapist.

 

The initial phone call can be a useful opportunity to ask questions about a therapist’s training, expertise, and areas of specialty. It can also be a chance to gage more superficially your level of ease in conversing with the therapist but is not a substitute for in-person contact.

 

Finally, having some idea of what you’d like to work on and what you’d like to see different in your life is always helpful to bring to the table. This will allow your prospective therapist to share his or her impressions of how you might collaborate to achieve your goals and allow you to make an informed decision about how to proceed.

• How often do I need therapy?

 

Therapy works best when it’s done weekly or even more often. Especially while we are first building rapport and trust in the therapeutic relationship, I do not recommend planning to come less frequently than once per week to maximize progress toward your goals. 

• Do you take insurance?

 

I do not take insurance but am willing to provide you with a monthly receipt called a "superbill" which you can submit to your insurance company to seek partial reimbursement on what you have paid. Many PPOs offer partial coverage for out-of-network services.