What can therapy help with?

  • Emotional management, including, but not limited to anger, jealousy, grief, and depression.
  • Coping mechanisms to allow you to work through situations which typically cause you anxiety, fear, or avoidance.
  • Stress-management techniques to apply to deal with stress within your everyday life, such as with your job and family.
  • Skills and techniques to help you better navigate relationships, or to work through relationship troubles.
  • Problem solving skills for you to enact when you encounter issues which may typically have caused you to shy away or back down, such as social situations or public speaking.
  • Improving self-love, self-confidence, and body image.
  • Improving communication, listening, and the ability to speak up for yourself.
  • Understanding your own skills, strengths, and positive attributes and learning to quiet your inner negative critique.
  • Finding a resolution to the issues that originally led you to therapy, such as having panic attacks, or being unable to sleep.

While the decision to begin therapy is an individual choice, in many regards it can be helpful for everyone. There are a wide variety of reasons to begin therapy ranging from a diagnosed mental illnesses to help managing daily stress or a transitional period of your life. It is your treatment plan that will vary based on your individual circumstances.

What to expect on your first visit:

At least 24 hours prior to the start time of the intake (the very first session), I ask that you complete paperwork that will be emailed to you at the time you schedule the intake appointment. Additionally, if you are using insurance, you will receive an email to input your insurance information to verify everything. Please complete the insurance form as soon as possible so there are no cost surprises at the time of your appointment. You will also receive an email with a link to the HIPAA compliant video platform we will use for our sessions.

The very first session will last between 45-60 minutes. During that appointment, we will go over information including your personal history, medical history, and mental health history. I will lead by asking the questions, but you are also welcome to ask any questions of your own. I want you to feel comfortable and in control of your treatment.

At the end of the intake session, we will set realistic goals for therapy and discuss scheduling.

Expectations:

  • You can expect to be treated with compassion, empathy, respect, and understanding.
  • You can expect to be presented with someone who is available to listen to you and listen to your interpretation of what you are currently experiencing.
  • You can expect to receive knowledgeable and scientifically backed techniques and information to assist you in overcoming your mental health related struggles.
  • You can expect to meet on a HIPAA compliant virtual platform

What to expect during subsequent visits:

During the subsequent sessions following the intake appointment, we will meet for 45-50 minutes on a HIPAA compliant video platform. You will receive an email at least 24 hours ahead of time with the link for the video platform. If you do not receive it, please feel free to email me and I can send it to you.

Some people feel nervous about not having a specific topic to discuss during their sessions. Please do not worry about coming to every session with an agenda. If you have a specific topic you’d like to discuss, that is wonderful. If not, it is my job to ask the questions and we will find a relevant topic through our discussion.

Is therapy confidential?

As a general rule, all therapy sessions are confidential and anything you discuss with your therapist will remain between the two of you. This is as per protection rules by law, which all therapists legally need to follow, and no information from the session can be disclosed without prior written consent from the client.

There are exceptions to this law however, and the therapist can disclose information from the session to legal authorities or appointed persons if any of the following are true:

  • The therapist suspects abuse to a child, dependent adult, or an elder, or are made aware of domestic abuse. These situations all require the therapist to notify law authorities immediately.
  • If the therapist suspects an individual has caused, or is threatening to cause severe bodily harm to another person, therapists are required to report it to the police.
  • If an individual intends to harm himself or herself, expressing to the therapist for example, plans for suicide. While the therapist will attempt to work through this in the therapy session, if it appears to be unresolved or the client does not cooperate, additional action may need to be taken to ensure the safety of the client.