Coming into therapy is a difficult thing to do.  Our society doesn't like to admit that life is hard and that none of us can make it without getting help from others.  This makes coming in to talk with a therapist even harder. 

 

A typical first session involves a bit of paperwork and getting to know each other.  I will ask you quite a few questions about your history and the struggles you are currently facing.  At the end of this session, we decide together whether we're a good fit.  Not every therapist is a good fit for every client.  It's really important for you to feel comfortable with your therapist, so if we decide that we aren't a good match, I will help you find another therapist.

 

If we decide to work together, we will set one or two treatment goals to help us stay on track and measure progress.  At the end of the session, we schedule another appointment at a time that's convenient for both of us.

 

As we build our relationship during the following sessions, we will talk about your struggles, what you've tried before, and look for different ways to manage and think about your challenges.  We will make action plans for you to try until your next session.  At the next session, we will talk about whether the action plan was helpful and if it wasn't as helpful as you want, we will develop another plan for you to try.

 

Once you are satisfied with the progress you've made on your goals, we will talk about lengthening the time in between your sessions with the plan to stop sessions all together since the ultimate goal of therapy is to not need therapy!!