What to Expect

How We'll Work Together

Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, especially if you're not sure what to expect. Here's how the process works from our first call to ongoing sessions.

1.    Free 15-Minute Phone Consultation

​We’ll start with a brief phone call to see if we’re a good fit. You can schedule your consultation call here.

During this call, we will:

  • Briefly discuss what is bringing you to therapy

  • Talk about your goals

  • Determine if the services I offer align with your needs and what you’re looking for

  • Answer any questions you have about my approach, availability, or logistics

At the end of the call, I’ll provide suggestions for next steps - either scheduling your first appointment or providing referrals to other providers if I’m not the right fit.

2.    Before Your First Appointment

Once we schedule your first session, I’ll email you intake paperwork through a secure online system. This includes consent forms, intake questionnaires, current symptom measurements, and an authorization form to keep a credit card on file.

Please note: These forms must be completed 24 hours before your first appointment so I have time to review them, and we can make the most of our session together. However, if you have questions or prefer to discuss the forms, please let me know in advance, and we can complete them together during our first session.

For in-person appointments: Please follow the directions in the email on where to park and how to access the office, and arrive a few minutes early to get oriented to the office.

For telehealth appointments: I’ll email you a link to the secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform 36 hours before the appointment. Please review the instructions in the email, make sure you are in a private location with good Wi-Fi, test your microphone and speakers/headphones, and click the link at our scheduled appointment time to join the session.

3.    Assessment Session(s)

Before we dive into treatment, I need to understand your story – your concerns, your background and past experiences, what has worked (or hasn’t worked) in the past, and what you want to be different.

We’ll also discuss in greater detail what treatment will look like, what you can expect during treatment, and schedule a time for regular, ongoing treatment sessions.

For Individual Therapy: the assessment phase typically takes 1-2 sessions. We’ll discuss:

  • What’s bringing you to therapy right now (in more detail from the consultation call)

  • Your history and relevant background

  • Your goals for our work together

  • What working together will look like

At the end of the assessment, I’ll share my impressions and recommendations, and we’ll create a personalized treatment plan together. If I feel that your needs would be better met by another provider or a different type of treatment, I’ll provide recommendations for next steps.

For Couple Therapy: the assessment phase consists of 4 sessions.

  • Session 1 (Joint): We’ll discuss what is bringing you both to therapy, your concerns about the relationship, your goals, and your relationship history.

  • Sessions 2 and 3 (Individual): I’ll meet with each partner separately to learn about your individual backgrounds, previous relationship experiences, and your perspectives on the relationship.

  • Session 4 (Joint): I’ll share my understanding of what’s going on in your relationship, discuss treatment goals, and what to expect from therapy moving forward.

 

Since every relationship is unique, this structured assessment helps me understand both your individual experiences and your dynamic as a couple, which makes treatment more effective. If I feel your needs would be better met by a different type of treatment, I will provide recommendations for next steps.

4.    Ongoing Treatment Sessions

Once we move into treatment, sessions are typically 50 minutes, scheduled weekly or every other week. Depending on your needs and progress, we may adjust frequency or schedule extended sessions.

For Individual Therapy: Therapy with me is active and collaborative. We won’t just talk about your week or vent about recent events (although, don’t worry, we can absolutely vent when you need to – it’s just not all we’ll do). We’ll work on identifying patterns, getting clarity on what you want to be different, building skills, trying new approaches, and making real changes that stick. I pull from various evidence-based treatments like CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and emotion-focused therapy, tailored to what works best for you.

We’ll set clear goals at the beginning of treatment and check in regularly on your progress, which may include completing symptom measurement forms (the same ones you completed before the assessment) to monitor changes. Some sessions might focus on learning specific skills (like managing anxiety, challenging your thoughts, or setting boundaries). Others might be more exploratory (like understanding why certain situations trigger you or how certain behaviors affect you). Either way, the goal is always practical progress in your real life.

For Couple Therapy: Most treatment sessions will be joint sessions with both partners. However, either of you – or I – can request individual sessions throughout treatment if needed. Those individual sessions would still be in service to our couples work and are not individual therapy sessions. 

In couple therapy, we’ll focus on understanding how individual differences, emotional sensitivities, and stressors impact your relationship “cycle” – the recurring dynamic that keeps you stuck. We’ll work on breaking unhelpful patterns, improving communication, and increasing emotional connection. I use Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), which combines making behavioral changes in the relationship with increasing emotional understanding and acceptance of one another.

Treatment is collaborative and active. I won’t take sides or referee fights. My role is to help you understand one another better and give you the tools to navigate conflict, reconnect, and build a relationship that feels good to both of you.

How Long Does Therapy Take?

This depends on your goals, what is going on in your life, and what you’re working on. Some people see meaningful progress in 3-6 months. Others benefit from longer-term work. We’ll check in regularly about your progress and adjust as needed.

For couple therapy, a typical course of IBCT lasts 6-12 months, with sessions often spaced out more (every other week or monthly) as you make progress.

Ready to schedule your complimentary consultation?

Contact

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For medical emergencies, contact your healthcare provider or call 911. For mental health crises, call or text 988.

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