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1.  Our first interaction will be by telephone, when you, as the prospective client, call me.  The initial phone consultation is free.  We will discuss your concerns and problem areas that you wish to address in therapy.  Based on the information you provide during the telephone call, we will discuss whether your concerns are within the limits of my training and expertise to treat.  If I deem that my experience is not a good match for you, I will provide you with appropriate  referral options.  If we decide to schedule an appointment, we will discuss insurance and payment issues.

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2. The beginning of therapy, which is usually the first 2-3 sessions, we will discuss in detail your concerns, your history, prior treatment, and current life circumstances.  We will have a general goal by the end of the first session, which we will refine in the subsequent sessions.  

 

3. Therapy is a collaborative endeavor, which means that we will discuss at every session what works and what does not and what we need to change in order to achieve your goals. We will explore themes that we have identified as relevant to the matters that concern you.  That means that we will be talking about about events between sessions, which may lead us into talking about what happened at other times in your life, perhaps as far back as childhood.  It is important that you communicate to me anything that is a problem for you so that we can address it.  

 

I typically give "homework" between sessions, such as paying attention to automatic thoughts, recognizing triggers for habitual maladaptive behaviors, reading about something we are working on.  Although you will not get a bad grade or fail at therapy if you do not do your homework, I find that when clients work on issues between sessions, they report faster relief from problems.

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4. We continue in this manner until you have reached your goals.  Some clients prefer to maintain an ongoing therapy relationship with periodic check-ins.  We would decide how often it would be beneficial to meet.  Others prefer to call me if some issue arises that needs resolving.  Because this is your process, you decide.

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