If you have a great friend support you know these relationships are invaluable and offer some good advice, but therapy is different. It’s an unbiased, professional that can assess the root causes of some of your issues and offer insight, strategies, and tools to help you approach the issue or situation with a new perspective. Maybe you have issues you’ve never disclosed to others that are nagging you or effecting your life in ways that you can’t control or don’t understand. Therapy is confidential - it’s between you and your therapist only without the outside judgement of your circle of friends.

You can expect professionalism, confidentiality, emotional insight and a safe, reliable relationship. You should feel like no question is wrong and no feeling is unfounded. You can expect clear goals and parameters to achieve those goals. You should expect to be challenged and clear ways to address your symptoms and needs. Finally, you can expect a trusted confidant that only has your healing and better mental health at the core of may agenda.

The length of our time together has a lot of pieces to understand. The issue/symptom(s) you are wanting to change, your history and level of trauma involved in those issues, your desire and ability to make changes. We will go as fast or as slow as you would like. Some people find what they need in just a few sessions, some need more in-depth long approach to the work we need to do. You make have some ideas of the amount of time you are willing to give to the pressing goals you have. Its important that those goals are presented when we meet so I know what your expectations are and can assess if these are appropriate expectations.

Counseling goals are paramount to our work together. You will find that in the intake information there is a short questionnaire that asks what the goals are you want to achieve. These can be goals to address a specific symptom such as depression or anxiety, they may be goals for better communication with a significant other, they might also be larger goals to address your childhood trauma or situational trauma. All these goals are unique to you and provide a unique timeframe to achieving them. You will know best when you have seen some of these goes achieved and we will touch base each session to talk about the successes or maybe steps backward in accomplishing your goals. You can trust that we will be working toward these goals in a stepped, carefully thought through plan. You can also expect that sometimes in the process new goals may arise and we will course correct or create new goals to achieve what ;you would define as personal success.

Homework is always an option and often a necessity to achieving your goals. Much of the work will be done in our office during our sessions together, but there will be times that it will be your job to try out tools, new behaviors, communication strategies on your own in your everyday life. As you know the goal is to get you living your best life outside of the therapist’s office and homework is often an important piece of that journey. For example, if you are a reader, I will suggest different articles or books that compliment our work. If you like to write, I might suggest journaling or letter writing or the life. If these things don’t suit you we will find ways to achieve the benefits of this work in different ways.

If you are a planner, come with your goals and listed areas you want to address. If you are more of the fly-by-the-seat kind of person we can do this together in our first couple sessions. Ultimately, success will be found when you come with an open mind and are a dedicated and willing participate in the process of the therapeutic journey,

A superbill is a document I can create that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. All providers are different and require different information to be included. I will work with you to make sure you have the proper information and in the requested timeframe for this reimbursement.

My preference is in-person therapy but on a case-by-case basis and if you reside in California, I will consider online sessions for individuals in need. In most cases this is a nice tool to have when transportation is limited or circumstances create a barrier to your attending our sessions. In rare cases I will take an only online client if the situation dictates this to be your only option.