Frequently Asked Questions

It’s totally normal to be nervous about starting therapy. It can feel intimidating to sit with someone and talk about how you feel. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. Going to therapy even when you are nervous is not easy. It may take courage to take those steps. You reading this now shows that you are already stepping in the right direction.

Therapy is a space where you can be yourself and bring up whatever is going on for you, including feeling nervous. I’m committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.

I’m here if you want to talk about it, call me or schedule your first session.

Take your time to read through my website. If you sense that I may be a good fit based on what you are reading, you can schedule yourself in my online patient portal.

Feel free to call me or schedule your first session. You can ask me questions about my approach, what a typical session with me is like, or any other questions you may have that are specific-to-you. You’ll also be able to share what’s going on for you and we can decide together how I can help.

It may be helpful to think of the first few sessions as trying out the waters together. During the sessions, you’ll be able to start seeing what it's like. My approach is not going to work for everyone. What’s most important to me is that you find someone who you feel is the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

If something feels overwhelming or even terrifying to discuss, that's actually very normal. It can often feel difficult to talk about some things.. During our sessions, you never have to talk about something you’re not comfortable talking about. It’s my job to give you space to slowly start to work through the tough stuff. Gradually and at a pace that feels comfortable to you, you can share what you feel ready to share.

You can also share with me that you are nervous to open up about something and we can talk about that too. Whenever you have a lot of feelings about something, you are welcome to discuss them in session with me.

If you open up to me, I will not think you are crazy, I will think you are someone who went through a lot. Many of my clients have had the same fear (that people would think they are crazy).

Through my own life journey and working with my clients, I know how ‘normal’ your experience is.

You're not crazy. Nothing you can say will cause me to judge you.

I know many of us are overwhelmed, we might be emotionally drained from the ups and downs, we are humans trying to be human.

Whatever it is you're going through, I provide a safe space where you can feel heard and supported without judgment.

You may be concerned that your friends, family, or work colleagues could learn what you have said during therapy. So I want you to know that unless there is an imminent danger to yourself or someone else, everything you share with me is completely confidential.

I highly respect your privacy and value your trust.

You can rest assured that you can talk about anything without fear of that information getting out.

If you have specific questions about how confidentiality works, you can ask during your first session or anytime during our work together.

You might be asking about how long therapy will take because therapy is hard to fit into your busy schedule.

If this is true for you, I want you to know that on average, my new clients start seeing progress after the first few sessions.

By that point, they feel like they have learned some ways to manage challenging stuff in their lives a bit better.

The total duration of therapy varies from client to client. Some of my clients find 6-12 weeks to be enough to resolve immediate challenges. While other clients feel more supported by longer term therapy.

We will work together to find the length of time that works for you.

Overall, you can think of the first session as a structured assessment that helps me get to know you and the challenges that brought you into treatment. I’ll invite you to share more about yourself and we can also talk about what’s worked or not worked for your mental health in the past.

Some questions that I like to ask during a first session include:

• What brought you to therapy?
• What goals would you like to reach by going to therapy?
• What do I need to know about you to understand your current challenges?

You can ask me questions as well. You might be curious about my training or what sessions will be like.

The most important part of a first session is to notice how you feel during and after the session. If you feel safe, accepted, and comfortable with me, we can discuss if you’d like to meet again.

I'm here to talk, schedule your first session. Where you can share what’s going on for you and we can decide together how I can help.