Psychotherapy

I do not have availability to meet with new psychotherapy clients at this time. Currently my only available appointments are for adult autism assessment.

Why do people pursue therapy?

People come to therapy for many different reasons. Often, people feel stuck in some aspect of their lives and despite their best efforts have had a hard time getting unstuck on their own. I collaborate with people to help them to better understand themselves, shift unhelpful patterns, overcome insecurities, and increase feelings of well-being.

Some of the most common reasons people seek therapy include wanting to:

  • heal from traumatic or painful events

  • understand their life experiences within the context of their Autistic identity

  • deal with life transitions (school, jobs, moving, relationships)

  • handle conflict effectively

  • learn strategies to manage work or academic stress

  • change long-standing habits and patterns

  • reduce mood swings

  • establish healthy boundaries

  • experience more joy

  • feel more confident

  • clarify their thoughts or feelings on an issue

  • change they ways their lives are affected by anger, anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, controlling people, and other challenges

I am committed to creating an inclusive, affirming space for all people.

Therapy provides a space where you can clarify your concerns, make sense of your past, and identify strategies to influence your future. With desire, commitment, some new tools and support, you can have a lasting, positive impact on your life.

Generally when people decide to work with me, they agree to meet for a 50-minute session on a weekly basis. Sessions are usually planned for the same day and time each week.

A first meeting

It isn’t always easy to tell someone your story. For many people, it’s a new experience to discuss difficult or personal matters with a therapist. I hope to make your first contact as welcoming and collaborative as possible.

A first appointment tends to be somewhat different from subsequent sessions because it’s really an initial evaluation of your situation, rather than a “therapy” session. In a first appointment, I aim to understand your problems, from your perspective, as best as possible. For most people, the issues that bring them to therapy rarely occur in isolation. Rather, people are affected by the people in their lives, their surroundings, and their past.

I will ask about what brings you to therapy, and also about other areas of your life, such as your relationships, medical history, past counseling experiences, family history, and spiritual or religious beliefs. This allows me to develop a broad and personal understanding of the factors in your life that relate to your concerns. This understanding is the basis for an individualized treatment plan that takes into consideration your problem, related challenges, your strengths, and the things that are important to you. By the end of your first meeting, you should have a shared understanding of your goals as well as potential ways to achieve them. If you decide you want to continue to work with me, then you can schedule your next appointment. If either one of us feels it is not a good match, then I can provide you with names of other therapists who might be helpful to you. 

Things to Consider

Confidentiality

Everything you say in therapy is confidential. That is, it stays private between you and your therapist, unless you give your consent for your therapist to provide specific information to others. There are only a few exceptions to this. Because of state laws, I may be required to break confidentiality if I:

  • believe you might be a danger to yourself, to others, or to property.

  • believe you are unable to care for yourself.

  • have reasonable suspicion that harm has been done or may be done to a child, dependent adult, or older adult.

  • am ordered by a court of law to be release information as part of a legal proceeding.

  • believe there is a medical emergency and believes that revealing information may be necessary to protect or insure your health and/or safety.

How long does therapy take?

The length of therapy varies quite a bit depending on the person and the nature of the person’s problem. Many factors come into play. For example:

  • Whether the problem is simple or complicated

  • Whether the problem developed recently, or has been chronic or long-standing

  • Whether you have a lot of support from significant others, or very little support

  • Whether you put a lot of work into changing the problem outside of therapy, or very little

Sometimes during the course of therapy, the nature of the problem itself can change. When this happens, it may affect the amount of time needed to experience relief. When problems are fairly straightforward, therapy may be effective in 8 sessions or fewer. For more complex issues, therapy may last several months to several years.

Fees and Insurance

Please contact me for information about current fees. The fee is due in full at each meeting. Appointments are generally 50 minutes long. Longer sessions may be arranged, if desired, for a prorated amount.

I am not currently on any insurance panels. Some health insurance policies provide coverage for “out of network” mental health treatment. Also, some insurance policies may have a deductible that must be met before the insurance benefit begins.