Now that you have taken the first step and scheduled your first appointment with us we would like you to know what to expect and how you can make the most of it. 

 

​Your first appointment will be spent information-gathering, reviewing your completed forms, and discussing what you can do to help your sessions be as productive as possible.  We will also spend time talking about your background, and most importantly what you would like to gain from therapy. Our job as therapists is to guide people where they want to go, so being honest and open in every session will be a great help to us and eventually to you. This is also the time to for you to ask questions and for all of us to decide if we are a good fit. If we determine the working relationship is not a good fit, we can provide you with a referral to another agency or therapist. If we all feel this will be a safe and productive relationship we will schedule your next appointment based on your availability and the availability of your therapist.

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Some people want the therapy experience to be quick, where the problem is solved in six sessions or less. If this is you, please let us know so we can utilize a therapy approach that better suits that outcome, though not all problems can be solved within a predetermined timeframe. Some problems simply can’t be sorted through as quickly as others. 

 

The average time for therapy is 6 to 12 months, but that is only an average and the amount of time someone is in therapy is highly individualized.

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Therapy is a highly personal and emotional experience and as such it can often come with the feeling that things are getting worse instead of better. That is because change is hard. It will be hard for you and sometimes hard for those around you to accept the new you you are becoming. Stick with it! 

 

Therapy is most effective when you practice the skills you are learning in the areas of your life you are wanting to change.

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