If you’re asking yourself this question there is probably something going on in your life that therapy could help with. :) It is my belief that everyone (including me) could benefit from therapy at any time! Whether wanting to work through big or small difficulties, therapy is a space for you to gain insight, learn new skills, and process through emotions.

Much of the research on the effectiveness of therapy talks about the importance of the “therapeutic alliance” or fit between the therapist and client. This does not mean that we are similar, in fact, some of the clients I’ve connected best with are vastly different from me. These are some good indications that we could be a good fit:

-You feel safe to explore your emotions (this is developmental—hopefully you will feel more and more safe as time goes on)

-You and I seem to be on the same page about goals for therapy

-The things we are working on seem to resonate with you and seem to be helping you accomplish your goals

-You feel emotionally connected and a sense that I care about you

-That gut reaction of “this feels good”

The first session is going to be a lot of assessment…AKA, questions. :)

I really believe that it is unhelpful and unethical for me to start making treatment recommendations before adequately understanding you and your context. The first session will be a time for me to begin to understand both your strengths and your struggles. I want to know about your social systems, your job/schooling, your hobbies, and of course, we’ll spend plenty of time talking about the reasons you’re coming to therapy. We will probably spend some time talking about what your goals are.

The first session is also a time for you to ask me questions about my approach, therapy with me, etc.

We will also cover things like confidentiality and go over practice policies.

This is such a therapist cliche, but…it depends!

For some, therapy is a brief expeirence. We might be working on something more acute or less distressing.

For others, therapy is a longer process.

I basically measure therapy being over when we are able to adequately tackle your goals or help you make some sustainable progress in those areas.

My philosophy is that if you keep coming to therapy and wondering “what am I going to talk about today?” it might be a sign that you are doing a really good job on your own and we can start spacing our sessions out a little more.

That is how I typically like to help clients “graduate” therapy. If you’re doing pretty well we might go down to meeting every other week or monthly. Then we might schedule a check-in every couple of months. If you’re still doing well and feeling like you’ve got things under control, it’s probably time to graduate! But don’t worry, if something comes up you can always reach out and get back on my schedule.

We do not accept insurance, however, many of my clients have success in getting reimbursed through their insurance companies via a “superbill,” which is basically just a receipt with the services you’ve received.

We also accept FSA/HSA, bishop/clergy pay, and have limited sliding-scale and pro-bono options (please reach out and we can chat about this).

Everything we talk about in therapy will be kept between us. There are some limits to confidentiality, however, such as:

-There is a serious, imminent threat to you or another person (think high risk of suicidality or homicidality)

-Abuse of children, the elderly, or other vulnerable populations is reported

-There is a report of certain communicable diseases (such as AIDS)

-You give express written permission for me to speak to someone else, like a doctor or dietitian, about your treatment (also known as a Release of Information, or an ROI form)

It is my personal policy to let you know if something you say is reportable so you will not be caught off gaurd. If we’re not talking about me needing to make a report, you can safely assume I’m not sharing your information.

FOR TEENS: I think it is very important for teens to have their own space to process emotions and that the information they share is kept private. I do not share information discussed in session with teens with their parents unless there are safety concerns that come up.

For more detailed information, please consult our consent forms.