Sessions are typically 50 minutes long and are often scheduled weekly, especially in the beginning. Most people have been struggling to deal with difficult situations by the time they come to therapy. Weekly sessions will help to keep you accountable and motivated to work towards your goals in an efficient way. As therapy progresses, we can work together to determine if weekly sessions will continue to be useful. Some people will find that as they begin to heal and grow, fewer sessions are needed. The frequency of sessions can be adjusted in order to best meet your needs and maintain positive change.

Every client is going through a unique situation, so the length of treatment will vary. The length of the counseling cycle, from start to finish, is dependent on many factors. Questions to ask yourself: How long has this problem been occurring? How ingrained are my habits related to this problem? Has this problem ever had flair-ups after periods of feeling better? If your presenting problem is related to a relatively new situation and set of symptoms that you have never experienced in your history, and has relatively little to no habits associated with this, your cycle may be fairly short (a few months). However, if you have had long term concerns, please recognize that the counseling will work to help you experience and maintain long-term progress which will take time. Therapists may try to give you a timeframe, but will not be able to guarantee any specific timeframe as progress is predominantly determined based on how much effort is made to engage differently from day to day or even minute to minute outside of the office, based on what you learn in the appointments.

Individual therapy sessions are $150 for a 50-minute session. To some, this may seem expensive, but you also have to remember that when seeing a therapist, you are placing what’s most important in the hands of someone that is supposed to help. It is worth every penny to find someone that has extensive knowledge and training in this field.

To put it into perspective, therapy is less expensive in the long run than other medical outcomes (having a heart attack, stomach ulcers, conditions requiring psychotropic medications, etc.) or relationship outcomes (mediation, attorney fees, divorce, etc.). 

I prefer to work with clients that are ready and eager to make positive changes in their lives and will do so through a willingness to open themselves up to new ways of thinking. My clients may be struggling with certain aspects of life, including depression, anxiety, stressful events, relationship struggles or changes, etc. People that work with me are looking for meaningful and lasting change in their lives.

In the first few sessions (1-4): You will tell your story, determine goodness of fit between yourself and your therapist, discuss goals and treatment plan, and build rapport. Effective long-term progress occurs after these items are established, and  cannot occur without these items.

The Treatment Phase:
After the first few sessions, then active engagement of the treatment goals and plan begins. This varies dependent on the client’s presenting problem and the therapist’s training and clinical orientation.

In these sessions you will work toward gaining insights, learning skills, expressing emotions, and more, which will help you make progress and see progress for long term change. The therapist can guide you, and you are responsible for engaging in the practice. The progress is directly related to your level of commitment to doing the work outside of the counseling office.

In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and psychotherapist. No information is disclosed without prior written permission from the client.

However, there are some exceptions required by law to this rule. These exceptions include:

Suspected child abuse or dependant adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.

If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person. The therapist is required to notify the police.

If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to work with the individual to ensure their safety. However, if an individual does not cooperate, additional measures may need to be taken.

By using insurance, the client allows their insurance company to access confidential information. This is the only way insurance will pay for sessions.

Once goals are completed, it is recommended that clients continue for “maintenance” phase, where a reduction in frequency of sessions occurs to assess and determine how the improvements are maintained as frequency lessens. If progress is maintained a client may move toward graduation of therapy. If progress hits bumps, sessions will focus on how to manage these bumps.

Clients are welcome back to counseling to revisit concerns that flair up, strategies learned but forgotten, or if new presenting problems are experienced. If a client needs a maintenance check up, they can come in for a few sessions or more. If a new presenting problem arises, a client may start over in the cycle of the counseling process, with the likelihood that the complete cycle would not take as long as the first time through.