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Commonly Asked Questions​

1) What does the therapy process look like?

    Once you've had a phone consultation and decided to move forward, the next step is setting up an Initial Diagnostic session.  During this appointment we will focus on learning more about you, your experiences, and your perceptions in order to formulate what are the areas of change we are going to focus on. These areas of change are then made as specific as possible by creating a treatment plan.  A treatment plan focuses on goals to achieve change and specific steps to take in order to create this change.  A treatment plan is flexible, it is a guideline to help therapy stay focused and always being aware of what your goals are. 

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2) How often are therapy sessions?

    There is no set in stone answer to how often therapy happens. This is a case-by-case decision that includes multiple factors (time, availability, finances, readiness) and will be something we will decide together.  Typically when first beginning therapy, weekly meetings are most beneficial in order to help you feel stable as you're discussing tough things.  Once things feel more balanced, moving to every other week often makes sense.  And once people are feeling capable of standing on their own two feet, sessions may spread out to once a month or so just to ensure periodic "check-ups" are in place.  

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3) What is Telehealth or Teletherapy?

   Telehealth or Teletherapy is a term used to refer to therapy sessions which take place virtually through a video platform (this is like the Zoom meetings some of us experienced during COVID lockdowns). These sessions allow you to stay in the comfort of your home/office/car and meet with me virtually.  I hold sessions through my home office which is secure and ensures both of our privacy.  Telehealth can be done through a mobile phone or computer.  When holding virtual sessions, my request is that you are located in a secure and private setting during the session so we may be genuine with each other with limited distractions. 

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4) Why are private practice sessions more expensive?

    Cost is a huge factor in deciding to pursue individual therapy! Going through insurance can help lower the cost, but it also comes with an insurance system that "knows" your business and can limit the options of who you can choose from as your therapist.  I appreciate times are not easy and not everyone has expendable income they can put towards individual therapy.  My costs are not greedily based on "how much money can I make!"  They are based on what is considered a reasonable fee due to 1) my years of experience and expertise and 2) ensuring I can cover my "overhead" costs of working full-time in private practice as it's my source of income.  I know how hard it can be to ensure your income covers not only costs associated with just living life (ex: insurance, groceries, mortgage, other bills, kids, etc) while also having some left over to have some fun.   I honor the choice to cover the self-pay fees of individual therapy is not easy and I can only stive to ensure people will consider it "worth it" to have a therapist who honors that choice and is fully devoted to helping you achieve your goals quickly and effectively, as well as maintaining the tools needed to continue to navigate life independent from therapy. 

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5) What if I discover we're not the most effective match?

    The reality is behavioral health providers are all taught basically the same information.  However, we are human too and we come in to therapy with our own personalities, beliefs, and experiences.  Sometimes these do not match up and create more havoc than benefit.  In therapy YOU are the leader.  It's YOUR goals we are working on and you need to ensure you are working with someone who can help you best achieve them. I encourage open and honest feedback and will ensure to assist you in finding your best fit, no matter what that looks like. 

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6) I've started therapy, but I'm actually feeling worse...why?

    Imagine therapy is like releasing the water from a dam.  At first there is some relief as the water is finally flowing, however, for many they have not yet discovered the tools to handle the water flow and they can feel a bit overwhelmed until they learn the skills and have the tools necessary.  While it can feel a bit overwhelming, our work together is to teach you skills to handle that water being released. While it may feel a little unsteady at first, the tools will allow you to stand confidently in that water, even if its a bit higher than anticipated. 

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