Frequently Asked Questions

Therapy can be vulnerable and new, so it’s natural to be nervous. It can be scary to think of opening up or crying in front of someone new, perhaps fearing that it will be awkward and uncomfortable. 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 as you are, share whatever is going on for you, and feel safe from being judged, 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.

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 schedule yourself in my online scheduler.

During a free phone consultation, you can ask me questions about my approach, how I work as a therapist, how I've helped others like you, or anything else you want to know to feel comfortable. You’ll also be able to share what has you feeling like therapy will help you and we'll talk together to get a sense of whether or not I'm the best person to help you. I want to make sure we are a good match and you get the help you need, even if it's not with me.

If we decide to work together, first few sessions will be about getting comfortable together and helping me understand what's impacting you the most. 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.

It's natural to not want to share some of the painful or difficult things we've been through. During our sessions, you never have to talk about something you’re not comfortable talking about. It’s my job to give you space to slowly start to work through the tough stuff. Gradually, and at a pace that feels comfortable to you, you can share what you feel ready to share

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.

If you open up to me, I will not think you are too sensitive, I will think you are extremely brave and strong. Many of my clients have had the same fear (that people would think they are too sensitive).

Working with my clients has shown me that the challenges your are facing are normal and natural.

You have nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing you can say will cause me to judge you.

I know we all struggle, we might be emotionally drained from the ups and downs, we may have normal reactions to abnormally challenging experiences.

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

You may be concerned that your friends, family, or work colleagues could learn what you have said during therapy. So you should know that unless you are suicidal, harming yourself, or someone else, what you say in sessions stays between you and me.

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 phone consultation or anytime during our work together.

You might be asking about how long therapy will take because you think that therapy will be an overwhelming process.

If this is true for you, I want you to know that on average, my new clients begin to feel a shift in the right direction after the first a few sessions. 

By that point, they feel a little more calm and hopeful that healing is possible.

The total duration of therapy varies from client to client. Some of my clients find 8-16 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.

Overall, you can think of the first session as a free-flowing conversation through which we start getting to know each other. 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:

• Have you gone to therapy before? How did that go?

• What do I need to know about you to understand your current challenges?

• How will you know therapy has helped you?

You can ask me questions as well. You might be curious about about my experience or how future sessions work.

The most important part of a first session is that you see if you feel I’m a good fit for you. If you feel supported, seen, and at-ease with me, we can discuss if you’d like to meet again.

I'm here to talk during a free phone consultation where you can share what has you feeling like therapy will help you and we'll talk together to get a sense of whether or not I'm the best person to help you. You can schedule a consultation appointment with me through the website by clicking on Schedule Today or email me regarding scheduling if the available times do not work for you.