How does therapy help?
Therapy is a safe, confidential space. It’s a space to be challenged non-judgmentally. It’s a space to learn better ways to cope. It’s a space to feel understood and seen. Therapy may even help you to view your circumstances as a personal growth opportunity instead of a burden. Whatever therapy provides for you, it ultimately serves as the catalyst for creating personal growth and a life worth living.
Some specific skills therapy can provide are:
- Emotion regulation
- Stress-management
- Communication and relationship skills
- Self-compassion
- Healthy boundary setting
- Values carification
- Reducing avoidance
What to expect on your first visit
Your first therapy session has two main goals:
1. Assess your circumstances
Our first meeting will focus on assessing your current circumstances and therapy goals. From there, we can better determine what type of therapy is right for you and how you can incorporate therapy into your busy schedule. In addition, I may recommend relevant reading or tasks for you to work on outside of our therapy sessions. It is very important that you take an active role in your healing.
2. Build a relationship
Our first session is a two-way interview to ensure that we are compatible. My goal is to better understand your concerns as well as your life experiences leading up to our first meeting. You are welcome and encouraged to ask questions. It is important to establish a client/therapist relationship that is supportive and honest. In fact, a positive relationship with your therapist is one of the most accurate predictors of success in therapy. Each client/therapist relationship will be unique but certain values and themes are true for all sessions. You can expect the following:
- to be treated with compassion, empathy, respect, and understanding
- a safe, supportive, and confidential space
- treatments that are evidence-based
- practical strategies and techniques
Please register on the client portal to schedule your first appointment.
Is therapy confidential?
Confidentiality is protected by law and no information from your session can be disclosed without prior written consent from you. However, there are a few exceptions to this:
- if the therapist suspects abuse to a child, dependent adult, or an elder. These situations all require the therapist to notify the appropriate authorities immediately.
- if the therapist suspects an individual has caused, or is threatening to cause, severe bodily harm to another person. These situations require that the therapist notify the appropriate authorities and individuals immediately.
- if an individual expresses intent to harm themselves. 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 be needed to ensure the safety of the client.
