
If you would like to explore the possibility of working together, please send me an email.
It is helpful if you give me an idea of what is prompting you to reach out or what you are looking for in working together, but please only include this in your message if you are comfortable with the privacy limitations of email.
If I have space in my schedule for a new client, we can schedule a time to talk on the phone or meet via HIPAA compliant video conferencing. During this meeting, I will be happy to answer any questions you have. Also, I’ll want to get a general idea of the concerns and/or goals that are prompting you to consider therapy. We’ll explore if there is a match between your needs and my skills and experience. If you have a specific issue that I have limited experience with (for example, if your primary concern is an active eating disorder) and you have not yet explored treatment with a specialist in that area, I may refer you to someone else. These initial phone calls/video meetings usually take about 20 minutes and are free of charge. If we both think we may be a good match and you want to schedule an initial session, we can do so at that time. Whenever possible, I prefer scheduling a 75 minute time slot for the first session.
Sometime between our initial contact and our first full session, I will send you a link to my online practice portal where you will find some paperwork to complete.
Let me also give you an idea of what to expect from our initial meeting.
The main purpose of a first session is for us to get to know one another. For my part, I'll want to build on our initial phone or video conferencing conversation and develop a more thorough understanding of what brings you to therapy. I’ll be interested to hear about your hopes and aspirations. And I’ll want to get some idea of what life looks like for you now. Ideally, our discussion will not only inform me, but will also further your process of self-exploration. At some point, usually by the end of our first meeting, I will share with you some ideas about how me might proceed. Together, in collaboration, we’ll develop a shared understanding of what we are working to accomplish during our time together and how we will begin going about it. This first session is also an opportunity for you to further develop a sense of how it will be to work with me. It is important that you find a therapist who is a good match for you and it is perfectly okay to think of the first few sessions with a therapist as a kind of trial run.
During the course of our work together, I will regularly check in with you about how you are feeling about our relationship and the therapy process. I will do this even if it seems obvious that you are making good progress because my experience (and research) shows that there is a lot of benefit in reflecting together on the so-called “process-level” of therapy. Maintaining open communication and feedback allows us to make the most often small (but sometimes larger) adjustments necessary for you to get the most out your time and effort.