First Time Here? What to Expect

As you're probably doing now, I recommend spending some time sifting through potential options first. Psych Today is an excellent place to start. Take a look at their filters and consider what your search criteria are (specialities, modalities/theory, gender, session format, cost, shared experience/background, etc). From there, read through bios and create a list of contenders, maybe 3-5 to start. You can also check other directories, practice websites, or a simple Google/Maps search. Keep in mind, research shows the single most influential factor for client success isn't the therapist's training or technique, it's the personality match between the therapist and the client (Flückiger et al., 2018 (opens in a new tab)Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018). The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 316–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000172 (opens in a new tab)). So first and foremost, you're looking for someone you mesh with on a personal level.

I'd recommend using the Contact Me features on Psych Today, Therapy Finder, or individual websites to send a message first. Therapists often don't have receptionists and could be in appointments all day, so phone calls can be hit or miss. An email/message is a good way to get your initial questions answered and to schedule the next steps. If you prefer phone calls, I'd recommend leaving a voicemail so they can return your call.

Most clinicians will offer a free 15-minute consultation call before setting up the first appointment. When you're shopping around for a therapist, these can be very handy to get an initial feel for someone and ask any questions you might have. It's normal to schedule these with several clinicians while you're deciding, but you're welcome to skip this step if you have one option that really stands out as your favorite (or you're just ready to get going!). You can schedule a phone consultation call with me using my online booking page (opens in a new tab).

Some typical questions you might ask in a consultation call: "How would you describe your therapeutic style or personality?" "What does your typical client/caseload look like?" "I'm looking to work on X, do you have experience working with that issue or how would you typically work with clients on this?" "I'm looking for someone who shares the same experience (ex. is a parent, is latinx, experienced childhood trauma), is that something you identify with?"

I always encourage folks to take their time deciding. You should never feel pressured to schedule during the consultation call, unless you're sure you'd like to.

At this point, you might have tentatively decided on one provider, or you might schedule an initial appointment with a couple providers, if this is something your schedule/budget allows. You can schedule your first appointment with me using my online booking page (opens in a new tab).

After we schedule our first appointment, you'll receive an email with a link to my secure client portal, Simple Practice. Using that link, you'll be able to e-sign the consent forms and fill out the intake questionnaire. We'll discuss details about these consent forms and my practice policies during the first appointment. It's helpful for me to have this information before we meet, but if you feel more comfortable waiting to sign them until after we discuss details please let me know! The intake questionnaire is longer, but feel free to add as much or little detail as you'd like. It's meant to save us time during those first few appointments.

The client portal is also our HIPAA-compliant platform for video calls. Depending on how you set up your account preferences, you'll receive a text and/or email with a link to the video call 10 minutes before the appointment starts (as well as in the appointment reminders 24-48 hours before, if you have them turned on). If you plan to join on your phone, it'll prompt you to download the app. If you join on a computer, it'll simply open on your web browser. If you don't receive a link, you can access telehealth appointments by signing in to the client portal (opens in a new tab).

The first 1-3 appointments will be atypical in their format and feel. We'll start by gathering information about your biopsychosocial history. I'll ask a lot of questions, but we will deal with breadth and not depth. This is a "crash course" in your life's story, but is in no way "the whole story." We'll talk about what is bringing you in, and what's motivated you to start therapy. If relevant and desired, we'll also discuss symptoms and review diagnostic criteria. Unlike providers who take insurance, I am not required by payers (insurance carriers) to make a diagnosis, so we can discuss the benefits/drawbacks and whether or not you'd like to be evaluated for a diagnosis.

Once we've gotten a lay of the land from a bird's eye view, we'll talk about treatment planning. Our treatment plan is our "roadmap" for the work we'll be doing. This is highly individualized and driven by you. Whatever your priorities are, we'll focus on those. We'll set some goals about what you want to get out of therapy, what you want to accomplish or change, and what success will look like for you. Because we won't be beholden to insurance companies' rules and regulations about treatment planning, we're free to make these goals as specific or broad as you'd like, and they don't necessarily need to be tied to symptoms/diagnoses.

Once we complete the assessment and treatment plan, we will finally get to "real sessions." My style is nondirective, meaning I don't usually come to appointments with a "lesson plan" for the day. We'll often start with anything on your mind from the past week, or we'll pick up the conversation where we left off at the previous appointment. Barring that, we'll lean on the goals we set at the beginning as a framework for sessions and choose one of them to focus on for the day.

After a couple "regular" sessions, I make a point to check in with new clients about how they are feeling about the therapeutic match, and if they'd like to continue with me. This is an opportunity to consider termination or referral if it's not working for you for any reason. I never want you to feel trapped or obligated to continue. I'll continue to check in periodically about this, but I always encourage clients to bring it up at any time. You won't hurt my feelings, I know it's extremely important to "click" and that I won't be the right therapist for everyone.

Length of treatment will depend on your goals. Another benefit of not using insurance means we are not forced to fit into pre-prescribed timelines, or terminate when you've made progress because they've deemed treatment no longer "medically necessary."

Every 6 months to a year (or whenever there's a need or desire to), we'll review our goals and revise as necessary.

This is a very intense word for ending therapy. Depending on your goals, you might "graduate" from therapy after you've completed them. It's a joyous accomplishment to work myself out of a job! Of course, some lofty goals are not so easily checked off the to-do list. For these lifelong "work in progress" or "maintenance" goals, we might eventually reduce the frequency of appointments to biweekly, monthly, or by request as you make progress. I also have some clients who consider therapy a useful tool and intend to continue indefinitely. It's a particular joy for me to form these longstanding relationships and join you through many chapters of life. To this end, former clients are always invited to return at any time, regardless of their reason for termination. If a new chapter has brought new challenges and new goals, please reach back out to resume!