In the first few sessions, you will tell your story. You’ll talk about background issues that may have led you to seek counseling. You’ll build rapport with your therapist, and you’ll start to get a feel for connection and fit between the two of you. You may identify goals, both short-term and long-term, and develop a treatment plan. Once you’ve established that initial structure, long-term work can begin.

At this point, you will start to dig more deeply into treatment goals, moving from planning to action. It’s important to note that timelines are variable based on presenting needs, your comfort, and your therapist’s discretion.

The further you proceed in counseling, the more you will develop and strengthen coping skills, foster communication and self-advocacy, and begin to see the fruits of your labor. Ultimately, you are the one driving the therapeutic process. Your therapist is like the navigator, along for the ride, sometimes pointing out detours or stops or pausing to reflect, but you are the one behind the wheel.*

*It’s also important to emphasize that work continues outside of session. Progress in therapy also relies on putting work into action, practicing coping strategies, and holding yourself accountable.

Therapy is a deeply personal, individualized concept. Everyone will be ready at different stages of their life. Some people may find that addressing an issue quickly after an event may be most beneficial, while some may prefer to take their time, try to self-process and heal, before entering counseling. Here are a few concepts that might help you make that decision:

Am I on the right track?

Whether your goals relate to to personal healing, professional growth, relationships, or otherwise, it’s important to consider your sense of comfort, happiness and contentment in this current place in your life. Is there something missing from your life you’d like to strengthen? Perhaps a sense of purpose, fulfillment, or a sense of inner peace?

Are there areas of stress or tension that are impacting me right now?

More often than not, we can identify some particular stressor or trigger in our life. It may be small, or it may seem massive and insurmountable. But it’s nevertheless important to recognize if there is some type of obstacle, hurdle, that you are working to move past or overcome. This is often a major driver for those deciding to seek therapy.

Am I seeking to grow or adapt? Am I willing to make changes in my daily life, the way I respond to challenges, the way I cope with stressors?

Progress in therapy relies on some willingness to learn, to grow, to shift one’s perspectives. That isn’t to say you need to be 100% ready to change every aspect of your life. Nor should you. Therapy should be something that integrates with your life, not derails it. But if there’s no part of you that’s willing to shift in some way, no part that’s willing to adjust the way you approach life’s challenges, you may simply not be ready yet. And that is completely okay. Can you benefit from therapy? Absolutely. But you should also be comfortable engaging in the process. Be patient with yourself. Give yourself time to think. And if you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to reach out for a free 15-minute consult to see if therapy might be right for you.

I am in-network (INN) with most major insurance companies, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Cigna, and Oxford, as well as some Medicare plans. For a complete list of insurance I accept, or if you’re unsure if your benefits will be accepted, please contact me for a free 15-minute consultation call, and I will work to get you an answer as soon as possible.

Even if you’re out-of-network (OON), some insurance plans may still cover our sessions. Much like in-network insurance, you might be responsible for a co-pay or co-insurance, based on your plan.

For those who don’t have compatible INN or OON insurance, or who would simply prefer to pay out-of-pocket, I accept self-pay at time of service via credit, debit, PayPal or Zelle. My self-pay rate for individuals is $195 for a session, and $225 for couples.

The short answer is that it differs for every person. Some people may benefit from relatively short spans of therapy, perhaps no more than 3 to 6 months. Others benefit from the structure and continuity of therapy over a matter of years. It really depends on your background, your experiences, and your presenting issues. It’s also important to consider how long you’ve been dealing with an issue. For some individuals, the impact of a signficant event or trauma may require a longer course of treatment. For others, events may be more situational or transient, and may be addressed in a shorter period of time.

Sessions will be held on a weekly basis. Research indicates that consistent initial progress is impacted by cadence (frequency of sessions). I find that those who begin sessions on a weekly basis are more likely to engage in therapy, and more likely to make consistent progress. I will commit to finding a weekly space for you. This is another benefit of having a small, boutique private practice, where I have full control over my schedule and hours. If you are interested in more than 1 session per week, I am happy to accommodate this as well.

I ask that you provide 48-hour notice if you need to cancel or reschedule our weekly session. For any sessions canceled within that 48-hour window, I assess a $125 cancellation fee. Many clinicians charge their full self-pay rate for cancellation fees, so I believe that $125 is a fair compromise, and one that still encourages consistent attendance and communication. I have a limited cancellation policy because I have seen the most progress when we meet weekly and consistently. We can discuss this further in our complementary call. I am happy to accomodate vacations and to discuss make-up sessions, as well.

We refer to this phase of therapy as the maintenance phase. Triggers and stressors may be less pronounced. But they likely haven’t disappeared altogether. At this point, you’re building off of and maintaining the progress and structure you’ve developed in earlier sessions. For some, this means a reduction in session frequency. For others, they may want to maintain frequency, duration and structure of sessions.