How do I get started with you?
I start every journey with a free 20 minute consultation call. I want to understand what’s bringing you in so I am confident I can support you in your goals and I want you to be able to ask me questions you have and feel confident about our partnership. From there, if you’d like to schedule a first visit with me, we can do so.
Prior to your first visit, I will send you consent documents from my electronic health record, Simple Practice. This will include demographic information, consent forms and information about your background. These documents must be completed prior to our first session.
What do therapy appointments look like?
Your first session is called an intake. An intake does not look much like a “typical” therapy session. In an intake, I will review nuts and bolts such as limits of confidentiality, informed consent, information about myself and telehealth. Then I gather a comprehensive history about what is bringing you in, your current stressors and your family background to get a comprehensive understanding of how I can best be of service to you.
In subsequent sessions, if there are specific things that you would like to address in treatment, it’s helpful to write these things down so we can focus on these topics. As I get to know you better, I will also have thoughts and suggestions for us to explore.
What if I want medication or time off work?
A Master’s level clinician cannot prescribe medication. This would be done by your primary care doctor or by a specialist in mental health, a psychiatrist. Along with this, therapists are not qualified to provide time off of work. This also would be evaluated by a psychiatrist.
What if you say or do something that doesn’t sit well with me?
Please tell me! Part of the benefit of therapy is having a safe space to practice advocating and asking questions if you need clarification. I invite and encourage you to let me know if I provided feedback that didn’t sit well with you or I said something in a way that felt upsetting. This is a great opportunity to practice these skills and get your needs met.
