What to Expect

How do I figure out if you're the right therapist for me?

I encourage potential new patients to schedule a 10–15 minute phone consultation with me before scheduling a therapy session. During the call, we’ll talk about what’s bringing you to therapy at this time. I’ll share a little about my approach to therapy in general, as well as how I might approach working with you on your specific concerns.

If we both feel that we’d be a good fit, we can move forward with scheduling our first session. I’ll also check in with you during our first few sessions to see how you’re feeling about our work together and whether it feels like we’re on the right track toward building a strong, trusting therapeutic relationship.

What happens in the first session? How can I prepare for it?

After we schedule your first session, I’ll send you the intake documents through a HIPAA-compliant email. You’ll have access to these documents before our first session, and I’ll ask you to complete them ahead of time. They include a consent for treatment, a brief history questionnaire, insurance information, and other forms that will help me get to know you and better understand what brings you to therapy.

During our first session, I’ll invite you to tell me in more detail about what brings you to therapy at this time. I’ll also ask questions about your personal and family history so I can get a better understanding of your experiences and what you’re hoping to address in therapy.

During the first couple of sessions, we’ll also talk about what you hope to gain from therapy and how we can best use our time together to work toward those goals. You don’t need to prepare anything specific beyond completing the intake forms. It’s okay if you’re not sure exactly what you want to talk about or where to begin—we can figure that out together.

How often will we meet?

When starting a new therapeutic relationship, I find that weekly sessions are most helpful for building trust and rapport and getting the most out of therapy. Over time, as we make progress toward your goals, we can adjust the frequency of sessions based on what feels most appropriate for your needs.