Why:
Exploring problems, symptoms, behaviors, habits, trauma, and/or personal history with a supportive, non-judgmental, neutral, and knowledgeable professional can help you become happier, healthier, and more productive. Whew! That was a long sentence with a lot of commas. But the bottom line is – a therapist is more than a friendly sounding board. Click here to see what the APA says about therapy.
Your therapist should be:
- Neutral: no personal agenda (other than the one we agree on together)
- Trustworthy: putting your privacy and safety above all else
- Knowledgeable: applying research-based techniques and information
- Responsive: listening to you, your needs, and goals, answering questions, addressing your concerns
- Collaborative: working with you to find the best avenues of change and working with other healthcare professionals on behalf of your wellness when needed
- Ethical: practicing within their scope of expertise, with cultural competence and sensitivity
How it works:
- You bring a problem (or set of problems) you want to work on. This can be very specific (“I’m having panic attacks”) or rather vague (“I’m just not happy” or “my doctor suggested it”).
- I get to know you, get some context, explore history, frequency, and duration of the problem.
- We set goals. Some things to think about are: How do you want things to be different? How will we know when you’re done with therapy?
- We get to work. What does that entail? Talking, considering alternative ways of thinking or behaving, and trying them out. I may give you homework on occasion, usually a behavioral “assignment” such as practicing a skill or writing something down.
- We assess our progress and adjust accordingly.
Length of sessions:
Individual sessions are typically 60-75 minutes.
- Cost: $155/ session
- Current Availability: Mondays, Wednesdays, some evening and weekend appointments are also available.