What to Expect
It can be daunting to come to therapy for the first time. Therapy can be hard work at times, but my goal is for it to also be fun! If you contact me, I'll schedule a 15-20 minute phone call to learn more about what is going on with you and if it sounds like I can be helpful. Then, I will ask for your insurance information to make sure that I am in-network with your insurance (I may have to call your insurance provider before the first session to be absolutely sure). If not, you can probably see me as an out-of-network provider for a higher rate, if you choose to do that. We'll also discuss how frequently we want to meet. I usually recommend weekly sessions for children, unless the issue is minor; however, if this is not feasible, meeting every other week may also work. For adults, sessions can be weekly or every other week, or possibly even a different arrangement. Then we'll schedule our first session. Before the first session, I'll send you some forms to fill out and sign.
​
In the first session, we'll go over the forms you completed and I'll ask you more questions to make sure I have a good understanding of the problem in your family and how I can help. With child clients, I usually meet with parents alone for the first session.
​
In future sessions, we will really dig into therapy! For Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, that means I will meet with you and your child together for most future sessions. For play therapy, I will meet with the child alone for many sessions, though often I will invite parents to participate in part of the session or at least to touch base at the end of the session. Some children may benefit from their parents participating in a large part of the play therapy session. Adults in therapy can really set the agenda for our sessions. You bring issues you want to talk about, and I'll listen a lot, ask questions, and give some suggestions.