• Finding the right therapist for you may involve meeting with a few therapists. Don't give up if the first one or two are not right for you.

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• Research generally shows that for depressive and/or anxiety symptoms psychotherapy is more effective than psychotropic medication. Yet most people who sought help from their primary care doctor were given medication without therapeutic support being recommended first. Few patients are informed by their doctors that medication works best when supported by weekly monitoring and support of a therapist.

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• More than 50% of people in the USA will experience a problematic mental health condition at some point in their lifetime. With therapeutic support, the severity of several chronic physical health disorders can be reduced. Most people endure psychological conditions for years before seeking treatment.

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• Therapy is an investment in yourself. Many people are worried about the cost of therapy. Please see the page About Insurance and Fees for more information about the insurance I can accept and the process for requesting insurance reimbursement from your insurance company if I do not accept your insurance.

 

• Clear goals and consistent attendance for your appointments will accelerate your progress.
   

• In therapy you never need to worry about being an imposition, impressing, or pretending. Most importantly, the therapist is there to encourage and support the changes you want to make and free you of other's expectations and stagnant patterns. 
   

• Successful counseling will give you new tools and confidence to grow and establish new patterns of relating to others and yourself to alleviate troublesome symptoms.
   

• Entering therapy is different than talking to your best friend. It is a safe and confidential relationship where you are free to say whatever is on your mind and in your heart without concern that it will hurt someone's feelings. You can have discussions about your deepest fears, doubts, and hurts, without being judged. 
   

• You can test out ideas, explore options, contradict yourself, and change your mind. Counseling is an environment where the therapist acts as your unconditional advocate for you to grow and make healthy choices that are right for you.
   

• Unlike a friend, the therapist acts as a mirror to help you see yourself and the situation more clearly without an agenda. The counselor is not there to add to the weight of your situation with their own struggles and needs.

 

• Even short-term Solution Focused therapy is a gradual process of change over 12-16 weeks.

 

• Often we will discover together that the original problem is a symptom of a deeper, more pervasive problem and by working on the underlying problem several related symptom problems will improve.

 

• Therapy happens in three stages, even in brief therapy it is typical for each stage to last at least 4-6 weeks.

  • Stage One is about getting to know each other, establishing trust and an alliance, and identifying goals.

  • Stage Two is when the problems are confronted and skills for change are applied and practiced.

  • Stage Three is when new skills, habits, and behaviors are stabilized, set, and established as routine outside of therapy.

 

• You are in charge. Counseling is complete when you feel your goals have been met. At that time we conclude therapy or set new goals.

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• Most people seek services for situational changes and stressors. Very few conditions require ongoing therapeutic support.