You can expect your first session to include gathering lots of information about you, your goals, and your experiences. I will ask questions about your family, history of trauma, alcohol and drug use, employment, how you see yourself, medical history, what your strengths are, and all kinds of other stuff. It’s sometimes called a bio-psycho-social assessment. This helps us to determine what your goals are and how you can move in the direction you want to be.

Things that are addressed in individual therapy may include depression, anxiety, trauma, behavior problems, relationship difficulties, stress, work/life balance, questioning substance use, parenting, and more. Some people find great relief in 1-2 sessions, while others find that they need ongoing therapy. This is truly about your needs and what works for you. I am an eclectic therapist, which means I pull from several theoretical approaches. But the ones I use most often are person centered, family systems, and cognitive behavioral.

For kids, I usually spend the first session with parents/caregivers for a couple reasons. The first is that I get great information about what is going on, and second, it helps kids feel safe and comfortable. Subsequent sessions may be with or without parents/caregivers. Kids are much different in session without parents/caregivers there, so sometimes that’s helpful. I respect kiddo’s privacy and do not share information about what they talked about with the parents/caregivers. I do let everyone know though, that if there is something to do with safety, abuse, etc. that the parents/caregivers will know. Either I encourage kids to tell parents/caregivers or I do. I try and check in with parents/caregivers after each session just to give an update or to let them know if there is any homework. With teens the process is the same, except the parents/caregivers do not always come in to the first session.

With kiddos I have a ton of activities up my sleeve. With most kids, the first goal is for them to feel safe in session and to know they can trust me. Then we move on to what things are important to address. Sometimes it's that they feel like their parents/caregivers are always mad at them. In that case I’m able to help coach the parents/caregivers in ways to nurture their little one.

Similarly to individual sessions, the first session will include information gathering as well as input about what you hope to get out of the sessions. This initial sessions generally involves me creating a genogram (or family map). I will ask a ton of questions and get much of the same information as an individual assessment, but just using a different format. I use principals from the Gottman method in couples/marriage therapy. I see a marriage/couples/family as a system. If one part of that system is not working well, the rest of the system adjusts to accommodate. Issues that we see in this area include, but are not limited to, affairs, addiction, divorce, blended families, and abuse.

*be sure to check your insurance for coverage

Family therapy is a process where families work with a trained therapist to process address a variety of issues. Issues can include stress, conflict, trauma, financial issues, family disruption, losses, communication issues, or addictions. Therapy happens in a safe and confidential environment. My therapy style is client centered with a systems perspective. I believe that each person’s actions/reactions impact the relationship, so success is more likely when family members are active participants in the process. My goal is to help families identify and reach their goals.

Family therapy sessions are generally 45-50 minutes in length. Generally all family members are in the first session, and then the family and therapist determine the family’s needs. This is a place for family members to explore their feelings, beliefs, or behaviors, work through challenging or influential memories, identify aspects of their lives that they would like to change, better understand themselves and others, set goals, and work toward desired change.

In the first session I ask lots of questions and do an assessment of the family. This gives me a good idea of each family member, including strengths, needs, and desired outcome. I like to get feedback from family members about what they think would be helpful and together we decide what direction to go. Sometimes that is continuing family therapy, other times it may be adding a referral for another service (ie individual therapy, substance abuse assessment, etc.). Once clients identify the goals to work on in therapy, we work to determine how often session should be and evaluate if they need to continue. Some clients may only come for 1-2 sessions and find relief and others may come regularly for several years. Every family is different, and again, there is not one right or wrong way to do therapy. It is also important to note that you may not feel like I am a good fit for you and that’s OK. My goal is for the individuals who come to my office to find what works for them.

(Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)

EMDR is a type of intervention that is very effective in treating trauma.

EMDR uses rapid sets of eye movements (or other bilateral stimulation such as buzzers you hold in each hand that vibrate alternately) to help you process and “file correctly” disturbing experiences. This is similar to what happens when we sleep. EMDR replicates this sleep pattern by alternating between stimulating each side of your brain and interrupting the process to get brief reports about what you are noticing. This alternating process helps update memories to a healthier perspective.