Absolutely, when starting therapy, it's very common to feel nervous. It can be difficult identifying and expressing how you feel. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. Honestly, it takes courage to attend counseling, but sometimes you have to invest in yourself to find the best of yourself. 

Therapy is a space where we can see you, including feeling nervous. I’m committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.

Take your time to read through my website. If you sense that I may be a good fit based on what you are reading, you can email me.

During a free phone consultation, you can ask me questions about my approach, what a typical session with me is like, or any other questions you may have that are specific-to-you. You’ll also be able to discuss what's on your mind and we can determine how I could best be of service to you.

It may be helpful to think of the first few sessions as trying out the waters together. During the sessions, you’ll be able to see how you feel working with me. My approach is not going to work for everyone. What’s most important to me is that you find someone who you feel is the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

Seriously, that's okay. During our sessions, we each have our own time and move at our preferred pace. Like footprints in the sand, I'll walk beside you, meeting you where you are, until you are ready to go where you need to go.

You can also share with me that you are nervous to open up about something and we can talk about that too. Whatever is present for you. Whatever you are going through. Bring that to session and we can explore that together.

It can be nerve-racking feeling like things you say or do in therapy could "get out."

So I highly respect your privacy and value your trust. We will discuss confidentiality during the intake or we can discuss it during your free 15- minute phone call.

Honestly, that varies by person, depending upon your presenting issues and what you seek out of therapy.

Some of my clients find 8-16 weeks to be enough to gain insight into themselves and their relationship challenges. While other clients feel more supported by longer term therapy.

We will work together to find the length of time that works for you.

Overall, you can think of the first session as a structured assessment that helps me get to know you and the challenges that brought you into treatment. I’ll invite you to share more about yourself and we can also talk about what’s worked or not worked for your mental health in the past.

Some questions that I like to ask during a first session include:

• What brought you to therapy?

• Have you gone to therapy before? How did that go?

• What are you seeking out of therapy?

You can ask me questions you might be curious about.

The most important part of a first session is to notice how you feel during and after the session. If you feel listened to, seen understood and challenged with me, we can discuss if you’d like to meet again.

I'm here to talk during a free phone consultation where you can discuss what's on your mind and we can determine how I could best be of service to you.