If you're reading this, you have already taken the first, hardest step toward improving your well-being, reducing distress and suffering, strengthening your relationships, and creating a healthier life.  To acknowledge that something has to change is honest and brave and not easy.  Now that you're ready to dive in, what comes next?

​

The Therapeutic Relationship

The therapeutic relationship between therapist and client, one in which you feel safe, respected, and genuinely understood, is arguably the most important part of therapy and the best predictor of a positive outcome.   Finding the right therapist with whom you feel comfortable being vulnerable, and who has the skills, training, and experience to be effective, may feel like a daunting task or exhausting process.  You might have looked at a lot of listings on Psychology Today.  My goal is to make this process as easy as possible for you.

​

Initial Consultation

You may have something very specific you want to work through, or you may simply know that life feels harder than it should and you are tired of carrying it alone. Either way, you do not need to have the perfect words, a polished story, or a clear plan before reaching out.  I offer a free 15 minute phone consult in order to connect, discuss your concerns, and explore whether my approach feels like a good fit for your needs. This is time set aside for you to ask questions, get a sense of my therapeutic style, and share what you are hoping to accomplish in therapy. It also allows me to determine whether I am the right clinician to support you, or if another provider or level of care may better meet your needs.  

​

Our First Session (aka: Intake)

If you decide to see me, our first session will start with some legal requirements on my part: information about informed consent, HIPAA, and your consent to treatment.  I will explain about my responsibility as a mandated reporter and how I am ethically bound to confidentiality.  I'll explain about my record and note taking, and I will give you the time and space to ask any questions you may have about how it all works.  

​

After the legalese is out of the way, the rest of our first session will simply be a relaxed conversation. We may talk about your current concerns, relationships, health, identity, strengths, coping strategies, and what you would like to change or better understand. We might talk about the shows you love to binge watch, the last book you read, or your favorite meals. You do not have to tell your whole story all at once. Therapy unfolds at a pretty slow pace.  I do my intakes over two sessions so that we have some time to get acquainted before we review what you wrote in your intake questionnaire and get down to some of the most intimate details of your life.  Honestly, this is one of my favorite parts of therapy: hearing your story, learning about who you are, and together identifying your therapeutic goals.  

​

Fees and Good Faith Estimate

Under the No Surprises Act, clients who self-pay for counseling have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of the expected cost of services. A Good Faith Estimate is not a bill; it is an estimate of anticipated charges so you can understand the cost of care before beginning services.  After our first two sessions, I will provide a Good Faith Estimate as required, and you are always welcome to ask questions about fees, payment, scheduling, and the expected cost of therapy before we begin or any time in the process.

​

Health care is a human right. I do not currently accept insurance, but I do offer a number of sliding scale spots for those in need who do not currently have the financial ability to access care. I can also provide you with a coded superbill for possible out-of-network insurance reimbursement.  My fee is $125 per 53 minute session and $187 per 90 minute session.

​

The Work

I often joke that it gets worse before it gets even more worse...and then you will begin to feel better. There's a little bit of truth nestled in there. Therapy is a place where we slow things down in order to begin to understand what is happening beneath the surface of your experience.  I have a strong psychodynamic orientation, so I am always curious about what has gone into making you who you are, both from a family system and larger socio-political perspective. Sometimes that means looking at patterns in relationships, your childhood, your originating family dynamics, systemic injustice or institutional racism, old wounds, trauma, strengths, grief, anxiety, identity changes, life transitions, or the ways you have learned to survive. Sometimes it means making space for feelings that have had nowhere to land. And sometimes it just means letting you be still and feel safe for 55 minutes. Therapy not always comfortable, but I believe the best growth comes from doing the hard work in a safe environment.  No matter the therapeutic modality or skills building that best addresses your needs, I believe that the therapeutic relationship, itself, can be a healing and corrective experience.  I strongly believe everyone has the right to feel healthy.  

​

My job is not to judge you, fix you, or tell you who you should become. My role is to meet you with curiosity, empathy, kindness, honesty, and respect as you make sense of your experience. Therapy is collaborative and together we will pay attention not only to what hurts, but also to what matters to you, what has helped you endure, and what kind of life you want to move toward.

You can expect our work to be thoughtful, relational, and grounded in the belief that healing is not about becoming someone entirely new, but making meaning of your life and story and becoming more fully functional and whole.   You're driving the bus, you create the map.  I am just holding a flashlight to help light your way.