How does counseling start?

First, you’ll book a free, 15-minute consultation phone call. We’ll chat briefly about why you are seeking counseling for you or your child. Then, you can decide if you want to schedule an in-person initial appointment. If you do, I will send you paperwork to complete beforehand.

Then, we’ll meet in person at my office. I ask parents to attend for anyone under the age of 18. I will ask a lot of questions and gather information. We will collaborate to set goals for counseling and discuss scheduling. You will be able to ask me as many questions as you’d like! This is another chance to decide if you want to work with me.

What happens in counseling?

Follow-up appointments are much less formal than our first one; these are my favorite! This is more of a conversation. You can share whatever is on your mind or bring a list of topics with you. We can talk about serious and not-so-serious things. A big part of these early appointments is building trust. Confidentiality and nonjudgment are the foundation of this. I am open, accepting, and affirming to all clients. Almost everything shared in the counseling office stays in the counseling office. 

Sometimes we will talk about difficult things; there are unlimited tissues in my office. Other times, we might laugh, play games, or get creative. We can go outside if that’s your thing or stay in the office if it’s not. If you want help talking with family members, we can plan for a family session. If you want counseling to be your personal space, that’s fine too.

I want each session to end with an idea, a strategy, a plan, or an insight to go out and apply to real life. Counseling is designed to make life between sessions better by achieving counseling goals. We will brainstorm, problem-solve, and design ways to do this. If you’re under 18, you can decide what you want to share with your parents and what you don’t. (Parents are always welcome to share information before sessions or through the client portal). My hope is for the client to go out, apply what they’ve created to real life, decide if it helped or not, and report back the next session.

How does counseling end?

As our work continues, we will talk a lot about progress. The ultimate objective is to need counseling less and less because goals are being achieved and the client is doing well. Our goals might change as things improve, or you might feel that you are done with counseling for now. It might take a few months or a few years to make this happen. I see the end of a counseling relationship as a celebration of hard work and growth. Of course, I am always happy to see clients for check-ins after counseling goals have been met.