FAQ

1) I’m nervous about starting therapy. Is that normal?

When starting therapy, it's very common to feel nervous. It can be hard to talk about feelings out loud. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. It takes courage to start going to therapy. The fact that you are on this website, looking for help, and reading this right now shows that you are being brave and seeking help.

Therapy is a space where you can be yourself and come just as you are, including feeling nervous. I’m committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.

I’m here if you want to talk about it during a free phone consultation.

2) How do I know if you are the right therapist for me?

Take your time to read through my website. If you sense that I may be a good fit based on what you are reading, you can Email me.

During a free phone consultation, you can ask me about how I have helped other people like you before, ask how I work as a therapist, or any other questions you may have that are specific-to-you. You’ll also be able to share what’s going on for you and we can decide together how I can help.

I think of the first few times that I meet with someone as a trial run. During the sessions, you’ll be able to understand how comfortable you feel in sessions. My approach is not going to work for everyone. What’s most important to me is that you find someone who you feel is the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

3) What if I don't want to talk about something?

If something feels overwhelming or even terrifying to discuss, that's actually very normal. It can often feel difficult to talk about some things. During our sessions, it will always be up to you if you feel ready to talk about something or not. We will collaborate on understanding what you feel ready to open up about. Together we will work through the difficult stuff.

You can also share with me that you are nervous to open up about something and we can talk about that too. Whatever is present for you, whatever you are going through...Bring that to session and we can explore that together.

4) I’m scared that if I open up, you will think I’m crazy.

If you open up to me, I will not think you are crazy, I will think you are unique and human. Many of my clients have had the same fear (that people would think they are crazy). Working with my clients has shown me that the challenges your are facing are typical and natural.

You're not being dramatic or "too much." Nothing you can say will cause me to judge you.

I know nobody's perfect, we all struggle, we all have our strengths and weaknesses.

Whatever it is you're going through, I provide a safe space where you can feel heard and supported without judgement.

5) Does what we talk about in therapy remain confidential?

You might already know that you want to share sensitive information about your loved ones with me and you don't want them to find out what you've said. So I want you to know that unless there is an imminent danger to yourself or someone else, everything you share with me is completely confidential. I highly respect your privacy and value your trust. You can rest assured that you can talk about anything without fear of that information getting out.

If you have specific questions about how confidentiality works, you can ask during your free phone consultation or anytime during our work together.

6) What does the general process of therapy look like?

Therapy appointments consist of 50-minute, one-on-one sessions that help you work through your concerns. Here’s how the overall process will work step-by-step:

1. First, I provide a safe, accepting space so that you will feel comfortable sharing your struggles with me.

2. Through hearing your story, I will start to get a picture of what your challenges are.

3. We will start with helping you with immediate concerns like managing difficult emotions and challenging life situations.

4. We will also work to discover what your goals are in therapy and in life.

5. Keeping your unique goals in mind, we’ll figure out what’s needed to help you reach them.

6. Over the course of our sessions, you will start making progress towards the life you desire. We will occasionally revisit goals and revise as needed.

7) How long will therapy take?

You might be asking about how long therapy will take because you are currently struggling and want relief fast.

If this is true for you, I want you to know that on average, my new clients start seeing improvements after the first 3-5 sessions.

By that point, they they feel like they have learned some ways to manage challenging stuff in their lives a bit better.

The total duration of therapy varies from client to client. Some of my clients find 12-20 weeks to be enough to resolve immediate challenges. While other clients feel more supported by longer term therapy. We will work together to find the length of time that works for you.

8) What can I expect during the first session?

Overall, you can think of the first session as a free-flowing conversation through which we start getting to know each other. In addition to listening, I will ask you questions and may guide you towards solutions as needed. I’ll invite you to share more about yourself and we can also talk about what’s worked or not worked for your mental health in the past.

Some questions that I like to ask during a first session include:

What brought you to therapy?
Have you gone to therapy before? How did that go?
What goals would you like to reach by going to therapy?

The most important part of a first session is that we determine if you feel I’m a good fit for you. If you feel safe, accepted, and comfortable with me, we can discuss if you’d like to meet again.

9) How can I get started?

I'm here to talk during a free phone consultation where you can share what’s going on for you and we can decide together how I can help.

Contact me today and embark on a transformative journey of growth, self-discovery, and healing.

FAQ