When starting therapy, it's very common to feel nervous. It can be difficult to imagine the words around what you are feeling. Maybe you've experienced feeling tongue tied when trying to open up to friends or loved ones in the past. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. It takes courage to start going to therapy. The fact that you are on this website, looking for help, and reading this right now shows that you are being brave and seeking help.

Therapy is a space where you can be yourself and come just as you are, including feeling nervous. We are committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.

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 email or call me.

During a complimentary phone consultation, you can ask me to ask how I work as a therapist, or any other questions you may have that are specific to you. You’ll also be able to speak to what's bothering you and we will discuss how therapy can assist you with your presenting issues.

During the first few sessions, we will get to know each other. During the sessions, you’ll be able to get a sense of my therapeutic style to get a better understanding of how working with me will be. 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 the difficult things you have experienced. During our sessions, you never have to talk about something you’re not comfortable talking about. We will collaborate on understanding what you feel ready to open up about. Together we will work through the challenging stuff.

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.

You might be asking about how long therapy will take because you think that therapy will be an overwhelming process.

If this is true for you, I want you to know that on average, my new clients start seeing relief after the first few months. Feeling relief can vary from person to person.

By that point, they feel a little more calm and hopeful that healing is possible

The total duration of therapy varies from client to client. We typically work with individuals who have had multiple traumas. Complex traumas can take longer to heal from. Clients who begin to utilize healthy ways of coping and taking care of themselves find their healing process to begin more quickly. While other clients feel more supported by longer-term therapy.

Overall, you can think of the first session as the getting to know each other” session. During the first few sessions, we begin a semi-structured assessment that allows us to get to know you and the challenges you are facing. 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’s present for you in your life right now?

• Have you gone to therapy before? How did that go?

• What goals would you like to reach by going to therapy?

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 the first few sessions is that we determine if we are a good fit for each other. If you feel seen, heard, and validated that can feel like a good indicator to continue the therapeutic process.

If we happen to know each other outside of the therapeutic setting, I will not be able to work with you. This is called a dual relationship, which occurs when a therapist has a second relationship with a client. Boundaries in therapy create safety and trust. I will refer you to another therapist who can assist you with your presenting issues.

I'm here to talk during a complimentary phone consultation where you can speak to what's bothering you and we will discuss our therapy can assist you with your presenting issues.

Schedule your complimentary 20-minute phone consultation. You are not alone, together we can do hard things. Begin your empowered healing journey today!