Is therapy right for me?

No one can tell you if therapy is right for you, only you can do that. If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, grief and loss or are going through a life transition, therapy may be helpful.

While no therapist can guarantee that therapy will lead to positive results, therapy typically produces benefits over time – but it will require you to put in work. This means that therapy often leads to increased resilience, building upon your strengths, greater contentment with interpersonal relationships and achieving your goals.

I do not own any magic wands, and sadly, I’m unable preform magic. All joking aside, and I say this to be transparent, therapy only works as much as the work you put into it. Depending on your specific goals in therapy, changes may be made quickly or take longer to achieve. Therapy can be a significant amount of work, time and potentially money, so it’s important to ask yourself if you’re ready for therapy. There are many different pathways for healing, and therapy is just one of those paths.

How do I choose a counselor?

Fit: Most important in my book, you’ve got to feel comfortable and connected with the therapist you’re working with! The client therapist relationship has been shown to be the most effective factor related to treatment outcomes (more effective than even the type of treatment one receives - that’s big people). That being said, therapists are people too. As humans, we have learned that there are certain people whom we connect with more or connect with less, depending on personality type, lived experience and many other factors. If you do not feel comfortable with your therapist for any reason, its okay and this is good information that it may be time to find a different therapist who you’ll feel more connected to.

Counseling Style: Just as all people are different, different therapists have different styles when providing therapy. Some therapists are more passive, while others are more direct. Some use humor, others do not.  Some therapists teach skills or assign homework while others focus on processing past experiences.  There’s no right way to be a therapist, and again, it’s important to find a therapist who has a counseling style that feels helpful and supportive.

Fees and Insurance:  It’s also important to ask some practical questions about money and fees when finding a therapist. I’d recommend asking how much a therapist charges (this amount can vary depending on whether a therapist sees you individually or with a partner and/or family), if they bill insurance, are contracted with her EAP and/or they can provide Superbills (a receipt of services for using out of network benefits). Please remember that you as the client have the ultimate responsibility for both checking your specific mental health insurance benefits and paying for what your insurance does not cover. 

Education and Specialized Training: What sort of degree and license does the therapist have? Do you want a therapist whose had specific training in treating clients with trauma, using EMDR, who teaches skills with CBT or who does adherent DBT and is available for coaching calls?  If you know specifically what you are looking for, more power to you, and please ask therapists about their training and expertise at the outset.  It’s better to know on the front end that a therapist does or does not have the training you are looking for - your time is valuable.  Even if the therapist does not have the specific training or education you are looking for, I’ve found that they may be able to refer you to a therapist who does.

What’s your personal style as a therapist?

I’m not your old school smile-and-nod therapist - I use evidenced-based practices, including CBT, EMDR and mindfulness, to help facilitate healing and change. I am direct, use humor when appropriate, while always remaining compassionate and non-judgmental.