About Therapy

We start by gaining preliminary information.

As I think about you as my client, showing up to my office for the first time to meet with me in person or online, I often wonder how you feel throughout the process. I do not have a walk-in counseling office. Therefore, we probably had some conversations, so the experience started when we initially connected.

You can expect that I have briefly scanned over the documents you filled out about what brought you in or what brought you and your partner to counseling. This information gives me a relaxed definition or explanation to informally tell me what’s going on in your life instead of reading a formal document you filled out.

As you’re talking, I’m taking mental notes, or you may even see me take a few written notes if I find something I may want to follow up with. When working with couples, I typically look at how you two sit on my couch or in my chairs. This also applies to working with couples I see online as a setting, although it can be more of a challenge because I cannot see both of you entirely.

You can expect me to gather information in the first session. While I’m collecting your information, your anxiety level should start to decrease since I’m creating a space for you to get the most important things out of it.

Then, we decide if we are a good fit.

I am a human, just like you, so if you’re looking for a therapist who is highly professional and scripted, I can tell you that I’m not that type of therapist.

On the other hand, I’m a laid-back therapist. When you leave our appointment, I want you to feel heard, somewhat understood, relaxed, and hopeful about things working out because you have found a connection with me.

It is also OK to feel that I am not the therapist you are looking for, but I hope you can take something from the time we spent on the initial appointment.

I work with three different populations.

They are individuals, couples, and people who have substance abuse issues.

For those that have substance abuse issues, I like them to have gone through treatment, have accepted the fact that they are a person who struggles with a substance abuse disorder, and now want to learn more about mental health and have one more person to help them in their recovery process.

With individuals, I always invite them to bring in a loved one once we have established a relationship. I work this way because I’ve been there and want all my clients to know I’m not perfect. I understand that life is difficult, but anybody can find peace with the willingness and consistency to do better.

Individual therapy is one-on-one, where we navigate together the challenges you bring to our sessions. You set the pace and share as much as you can. I want you to feel like you are getting a return on your investment and are in the process of collaborating with me.

My style is different.

I will tell you when I see things that don’t make sense, and quite often, my ideal client is the one who wants that information from me. I’m not the therapist that sits in front of you with a blank stare, and I’m not the therapist that’s going to agree with everything you say. I don’t want my therapist to be like that; therefore, I refuse to practice like that.

You can expect me to treat you with respect and dignity. If I remember that you have an important day coming up, I will do my best to reach out to you with warm wishes or a message of encouragement.

I am a relationship-building therapist, and all my credentials mean nothing if you don’t trust me. As an entrepreneur with a passion for helping others, I have been doing this long enough to know what type of CLIENT I want, and I want you to be sure that I am the type of therapist you want.

Most of my clients stick with me for quite some time and never officially terminate therapy with me. Still, together, we will work hard in the beginning and throughout the months and even years as you improve. The frequency of our sessions can go from week to week, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly, and I have some clients who reach out to me as needed.