What to expect at the initial session:

The initial intake is an opportunity for us to begin to establish our clinical relationship. I will review information from documentation you will receive via my online portal before our session. From there, we will discuss your goals for therapy, the symptoms you are experiencing and I will obtain history from you. History may include asking for brief summaries of information about previous mental health symptoms, previous ways of coping, family history, medical history, occupational history. The intake is typically an hour long. It is important that my clients feel they have a voice and a choice in the therapy room. Therefore, if there is a question I ask that you don’t want to answer or a topic that you don’t want to discuss, it is always ok to say so. At the end of the initial session I am typically able to offer you my impressions about what our work may look like. I may discuss the treatment interventions I do and the skills that I have that may support you in reaching your goals.   If you feel comfortable with the plan moving forward, we will schedule additional sessions to continue our work. As we continue to work together and collaborate, the plan that is created at intake is always negotiable and will evolve over time to meet your needs/symptoms at the time.

If at the first session I don’t feel that I have the clinical skills or area of expertise to support your journey, I will discuss this with you. There are many different types of clinicians with different training and approaches. Part of my role is to know if or when I am not a good fit and to get you to a clinican who may be able to support you better. I understand that therapy is an investment in both time and money. It is important to me that clients get the most out of their investment.

I ask that clients commit to weekly therapy, especially in the beginning of treatment. As progress is made towards treatment goals, we may discuss reducing frequency of our sessions.