Frequently Asked Questions
What can therapy do for me?
Therapy offers an array of positive benefits which can greatly enhance your life. Exploring your thoughts with a professional, non-judgmental individual can make you feel less alone and more able to sort out your thoughts in a productive way. When thoughts are disorganized, it can be challenging to make good choices. Counseling is a collaborative and confidential relationship, which works to develop a realistic plan of action to help you move forward and grow to achieve the results you are looking for in a timely manner. The benefits of counseling include a greater degree of self-awareness and understanding of yourself and others. This improves self-esteem, and becomes reflective in your personal relationships. Life feels more enjoyable and peaceful! You feel better about yourself and who you are. You have direction, goals, confidence, and are able to achieve them. Counseling does not have to be something you are ashamed of, but rather that you are proud of, because you want to heal, grow and lead a happy life; something we all strive for. Psychological studies have shown empirical evidence which supports therapy, and its mental and physical health benefits.
Therapy improves your self-knowledge, well being, health, and clarity of mind. It offers the opportunity to improve your life and comes with an overall feeling of positive change that manifests into a more fulfilling and productive life. It will make you feel more inspired, motivated, and organized. You will be ready to tackle anything! You feel more in control of yourself and your life. Consider it a personal gift and investment for your future. Counseling indeed helps many people and when they engage in therapy, they often gain personal empowerment, hope, acceptance of life, personal insight, healthier coping skills, overall wellness, and prevention of future mental health distress.
Counseling can improve and save lives. Seeking counseling is a sign of courage and strength because it’s an important step in taking charge of your emotional/mental health and creating the life that you deserve; a life worth living! I can help you! There is always room for improvement to reach your potential. The key to healing is talking about it.
The counseling process is, in many ways, an educational experience. The client not only learns more about himself/herself, but also acquires new skills. Sometimes, counseling involves learning more about a particular condition (e.g., depression, anxiety, eating disorders) by which the client is affected, so that he/she can better understand treatment options. Below are some examples of what clients can gain from counseling:
- improved communication and interpersonal skills
- greater self-acceptance and self-esteem
- ability to change self-defeating thoughts/behaviors/habits
- better expression and management of emotions, including anger
- relief from depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions
- increased confidence and decision-making skills
- ability to manage stress effectively
- improved problem-solving and conflict resolution abilities
How does therapy work?
This is a question that I hear often. We all know people who can talk about their problems endlessly and never make any changes. At the end of the day, talking is not enough — you do need to take action in order to change your life.
However, as we all know, that is often harder than it sounds. Growth is a process. The talking that we do in therapy helps you gain self awareness, have new experiences, and learn new skills. I am not just a listener; I am also a teacher — teaching you the skills and new ways of thinking that will allow you to change.
This work is often the pre-requisite to being able to take meaningful, effective action. Without going through the growth process that changes you on the inside, any action you take isn’t likely to “stick” and you may fall back into your old patterns. Let me tell you more about how exactly this process unfolds…
The Phases of Therapy
Generally, there are distinct phases to therapy. I like to use the metaphor of gardening to help people understand the process.
Preparing the Soil
In the first phase, you will establish a relationship with me. During this time, I will get a sense of who you are and what is going on with you. You will get used to talking about yourself in a safe, open environment. As you connect with me and grow to trust our relationship, you can begin to talk more openly and become more self-aware.
The therapeutic relationship we have together becomes a transformational space. This time is like preparing the soil to make it ready for seeds to be planted.
Planting Seeds
In the second phase of therapy, your awareness about yourself and your experience will continue to develop. I have many techniques and strategies for helping you to gain awareness. You will access feelings, thoughts and images that will help you understand yourself in new ways. You will make contact with your strengths, hopes, motivation, and feelings. Based on a deep understanding of yourself, a course of action will begin to come into focus. You will explore all opportunities, and I will begin teaching you new skills. You will start learning what you need to do to grow. It is during this time that the seeds of change are planted.
When you are ready, you will start to experiment with new behaviors. Guided by a better understanding of yourself, you can practice new ways of being that reflect your authentic feelings, needs and aspirations. During this third phase of therapy you might start experimenting with new skills for managing your thoughts or feelings, handling old situations in a new way, and doing things differently than you have in the past. Your seeds of change are now growing. You are blooming into the person you want to be. My role role is to help you nurture and support the growth that is now occurring.
Harvesting
Ultimately, when you take positive action on your own behalf, your life will change. Actively working to change your feelings, thoughts and behaviors ushers in the wonderful harvest season of your personal growth. During the final phase of therapy, you will experience the fruits of your work. You may feel happier, and more satisfied with your life — because you are having positive, successful experiences that reflect your growth.
Moving On
Our relationship will end when you are confident in your ability to continue moving forward on your own. However, you can always get in touch with me in the future for additional support. We often have many “growing times” throughout our lives, and times when a relationship with a therapist is immensely helpful.
Of course, therapists can’t just ‘fix’ everything on their own. It’s about using those resources you learn in your everyday life that can really turn things around. Still unsure about what therapy could do for you? Below are a few examples of additional benefits:
- Grasping a deeper understanding of who you are
- Identifying your goals and dreams
- Developing healthier skills for improving your relationships
- Learning resources to put an end to the issues that brought you to therapy
- Managing problem areas in your personal life, such as anger, stress, depression, anxiety, etc.
- Modifying old thinking & behavior patterns
- Changing your problem-solving perspective
- Boosting your self-esteem and confidence
Does what I share in session remain private?
There is practically nothing more important in therapy than confidentiality. As with any doctor/patient agreement, your privacy is of utmost importance. As an ethical therapist, I understand the feelings of vulnerability each client experiences, as well as the importance of developing trust, over time, for best results. Nothing you share in your sessions is shared with anyone unless you provide written consent and/or, with exception of suspected abuse of any kind (including child protection), or if I have any reason to believe that you may hurt yourself or others. These situations are a matter of ethical procedures, and sometimes, the law.
Do you accept insurance?
Yes. I accept Aetna, Anthem/Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Cigna/Evernorth.
What are your fees and what form of payment do you accept?
Fees: My fees range between $130 and $165.
Forms of payment accepted: credit card & Health Savings Account (HSA).
Payment is required in full for services provided at each session.