I’m nervous about starting therapy. Is that normal?

The idea of starting therapy can feel uncomfortable. The fact that you are here reading this now means you are getting ready to start the process and feel relief. It can feel scary to share how you are feeling. I only know what you share with me, you are in charge of the pace of our sessions. We will work together to reach the best rhythm for relief. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. I give all my clients credit for being in therapy. I think you are so brave for your courage to look at life differently with support.

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

I’m here if you want to talk about it during a free phone consultation.

How do I know if you are the right therapist for me?

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 contact me.

During a free phone consultation, you can ask me questions about my approach, ask how I work as a therapist, or any other questions you may have that are specific-to-you. You’ll also be able to share what’s going on for you and I can share my ideas around how I can help 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 start seeing what it's like. 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.

What if I don't want to talk about something?

It's natural to not want to share some of the painful or difficult things we've been through.. During our sessions, it will always be up to you if you feel ready to talk about something or not. I'll be there to guide you towards discovering what feels comfortable for you to share. Working with pace, we can look at the tough stuff if you're ready.

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.

I’m scared that if I open up, you will Judge me.

If you open up to me, I will not judge you, I will think you are courageous and human. Many of my clients have had the same fear (that people would be judging them).

Working with my clients has shown me that the challenges your are facing are normal and natural.

We all have patterns that may not be serving us anymore. How you're feeling right now may be one of them. Nothing you can say will cause me to judge you.

I know nobody's perfect, we might be emotionally drained from the ups and downs, we are humans trying to human.

Whatever it is you're going through, I provide a safe space where you can feel heard and supported without judgement

Does what we talk about in therapy remain confidential?

You might already know that you want to share sensitive information about your loved ones with me and you don't want them to find out what you've said. So I want you to know that unless you are in danger or someone else is, your story is confidential and your time in the session is protected.

I highly respect your privacy and value your trust.

You can rest assured that you can talk about anything without fear of that information getting out.

If you have specific questions about how confidentiality works, you can ask during your during a free phone consultation or anytime during our work together.

How long will therapy take?

You might be asking about how long therapy will take because you think that therapy will be an overwhelming process.

If this is true for you, I want you to know that on average, my new clients start seeing some immediate relief in having shared things that you have been bottling up inside of you, after the first couple of sessions.

By that point, they feel a little more calm and hopeful that healing is possible.

The total duration of therapy varies from client to client. Some of my clients usually tend to shift to every other week sessions before ending therapy. While other clients feel more supported by longer term therapy.

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

What can I expect during the first session?

Overall, you can think of the first session as a free-flowing conversation through which we start getting to know each other. 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 goals would you like to reach by going to therapy?

You can ask me questions as well. You might be curious about about my experience or how future sessions work.

The most important part of a first session is to experience what therapy is like with me. If you feel calm, heard, and cared for with me, we can discuss if you’d like to meet again.

How can I get started?

I'm here to talk during a free phone consultation where you can share what’s going on for you and I can share my ideas around how I can help you.