FAQ

Therapy can help everyone. Whether it be through new tools for tackling life, support during a trying time, or a sounding board. We all need an unbiased person at some point or another that we can bounce ideas off of. Someone who isn’t going to have a personal stake in our lives because they aren’t personally involved. Even therapists can benefit from therapy. Most of our Therapist's have a Therapist!

A best friend is a person that is there to give you advice, be your support, hang out with and enjoy good company. Ideally, they will be in your life for a long time and possibly a lifetime. A therapist on the other hand, isn’t there to give you advice or moralize. We are here to help you identify what is going to work the best and healthiest for you as an individual. We aren’t the person that is going to show up at your baby shower, but rather, the person to congratulate you and help you proceed into that stage of your life successfully with the necessary tools. Unlike a friend, our ideal length of time in your life isn’t a lifetime, but, the life of the time that you need us.

A solid fit with a therapist is key to success. After all, the client is going to be sharing intimate details of their lives with their therapist in a way that will leave them raw and vulnerable. You need to be able to trust that your therapist has your best interests at heart. People often know within a session or two if the therapeutic relationships is on a positive path. At the end of the day, your therapist is a service provider just like a plumber or electrician. If you don’t like the service you are getting, you see what can be changed, even if it is the provider.

Most people can handle their problems. Therapy isn’t simply about handling your problems. It is about developing the tools, and handling your problems, in the healthiest way, not just in the immediate future, but, for the days to come as well.

Choosing to participate in therapy is a beautiful gift you give yourself. The level to which you engage makes a significant difference. Essentially, what you put in is what you get out. Therapy isn't something that is done to you rather it is something that you engage with and participate in. Ultimately, you have the power to change your own life; a therapist is there to support you along the way.

It really depends on a couple of things. Are both you and your partner on the same page that your relationship has issues that need to be addressed in couples therapy? If not, it may be best to start out in individual and then transition into couples. Occasionally a couple may start out in couples and it transitions to individuals or both couples and individuals. This is due to the fact that in a relationship, there are 3 individuals. The two partners, and the relationship itself. All 3 have their own unique needs and desires. If there is an issue with one of the individuals, it can bleed into the relationship. This isn’t always addressable in couples therapy and thus individual therapy may be necessary in order to better the relationship.

You and your therapist will work together to develop a treatment plan along with goals that you identify for yourself. As you continue in your care together you will check in regularly on your progress toward your goals and adjust the plan/goals as you go. After you have made your desired progress in therapy you and your therapist will make a plan for ending therapy.

The first session will be going over the policies and procedures, intake paperwork, releases of information, and addressing any questions or concerns. At the end of the session, the therapist will discuss therapy session frequency and schedule one or more sessions. Typically clients will be given a goal worksheet to be completed for the next session to help the therapist to know what you want to achieve in therapy. This helps guide the therapeutic process.

During the session, we ask that client be mentally present by removing distractions and finding a quiet area with no other individual(s) to be present without the clinician having prior knowledge. This is to honor the client's safety and privacy. During the first couple of sessions, the client and therapist will discuss client goals. The following sessions will be spent actively working on those goals through various therapeutic interventions. Homework is generally given at the end of each session so the client can continue to grow in their journey.

You can contact your nearest Community Mental Health, federally qualified health center, or an agency that offers sliding scale fees.

This is rather unique to each person as each person has their own unique needs and considerations. Basic questions to ask though are questions like knowledge of the client’s area of struggle, therapist experience, what therapy with that therapist looks like, schedule availability, boundaries around communication outside of session, and any cultural, religious, or lifestyle uniqueness that the client is bringing into the therapeutic relationship.