What does therapy look like?

There is no short answer to this question. Here’s my best shot, broken into a few sub-questions.

In terms of logistics: We will have one initial session that is 90 minutes long to allow us to go over some logistics and get to know each other better. After that, it’s likely we will meet weekly for 50 minutes per session. Depending on your individual needs and goals, we will discuss whether we should maintain a schedule of weekly meetings or if bi-weekly, monthly, or as-needed sessions are more appropriate.

What will we talk about?

The initial phase of therapy is when we are likely to do some exploration of your history – your family, your past, your relationships, career or school stuff, and all things related. This may feel like a lot to rehash, but it truly helps inform our work together. Soon after we will focus more in the here and now, while weaving in a greater understanding of how your past influences the present.

It’s my hope that the strength of our counseling relationship will help you create the changes you are looking for in life. This means that I commit to being real with you in each session and also checking in with you about your experience of me and therapy in the moment. Moreover, I tell all prospective folks I may work with that you are the leader here. If you come in, first session, and have something big going on that you want to focus on – we can start there. There’s no rule that says we have to begin by talking about your past. I trust that we will get there eventually.

How structured is therapy with you?

At times we may incorporate somatic or creative approaches or homework (think of it like practice!) in our process. There is no obligation to do any of it. Your voice on the matter is important to me and this is your space. We will work together to determine what’s most helpful to you (whether that’s more or less structure) and we will roll with that.