FAQ

Therapy can be vulnerable and new, so it’s natural to be nervous. It can be difficult to imagine the words around what you are feeling. Maybe you've experienced feeling tongue-tied when trying to open up to friends or loved ones in the past. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. Getting the counseling we need can be challenging. And although it's normal to be nervous, that doesn't make it feel great. It takes courage to continue towards getting the help you need.

Therapy is a space where you can be yourself and feel safe from judgment, including feeling nervous. Our therapists are committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.

We’re here if you want to talk about it during your call with us.

Take your time to read through our website. If you sense that we could help you, you can reach out.
During your call with us, you’ll be able to share what’s going on for you. Once we understand your needs, we will help you choose the therapist that is right for you. Or if you already have a therapist in mind, you may request them.

You can also ask us more about your therapist. You might be curious about how they have helped other people like you before.

It may be helpful to think of the first few sessions as trying out the waters with your therapist. During the sessions, you’ll be able to start seeing what it's like. Every therapist's approach is not going to work for everyone. What’s most important to us is that you find the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

If something feels overwhelming or even terrifying to discuss, that's actually very normal. It can often feel difficult to talk about some things.

During sessions, it will always be up to you if you feel ready to talk about something or not. Your therapist will collaborate with you to understand what you feel ready to open up about. Together you'll work through the difficult stuff.

You can also share with your therapist that you are nervous to open up about something and they will be able to talk about that, too. Whatever is present for you. Whatever you are going through. Bring that to session and you can explore that with your therapist.

If you open up to your therapist, they will not think you are making it all up, they will think you are courageous and human. We know this because many of our clients have had the same fear (that people would think they are making it all up).

We know that what you are going through is common through many years of working with people like you.
You're not being dramatic or "too much." Nothing you can say will cause your therapist to judge you. We all struggle, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we may have normal reactions to abnormally challenging experiences.

Whatever it is you're going through, we provide a calming space where your therapist will respect you and listen to you with focus and compassion.

We highly respect your privacy and value your trust.

It can be worrying thinking that something you say in therapy might get out into our close-knit community, so we 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.

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 call with us or at any time.

You might be asking about how long counseling will take because you are currently struggling and want relief fast.
If this is true for you, we want you to know that on average, our new clients start seeing positive effects after the first few sessions.

By that point, they feel a little more calm and hopeful that healing is possible while learning some ways to manage challenging stuff in their lives a bit better.

The total duration of therapy varies from client to client. Some of our clients find 8-16 weeks to be enough to resolve immediate challenges, while other clients feel more supported by longer term therapy.

You can work together with your therapist to find the length of time that works for you.

Overall, you can think of the first session as a structured assessment that helps your therapist get to know you and the challenges that brought you into treatment. Your therapist will invite you to share more about yourself and you can also share what has worked or not worked for your mental health in the past.

Some questions that your therapist may ask during a first session include:

What brought you to therapy?
What goals would you like to reach by going to therapy?
What do I need to know about you to understand your current challenges?

You can ask your therapist questions as well. You might be curious about why your therapist became a therapist or how they helped other clients like you.

The most important part of a first session is that you see if you feel your therapist is a good fit for you. If you feel safe, accepted, and comfortable with your therapist, you can discuss if you’d like to meet again.

To get started, schedule an initial phone consultation or appointment in our online scheduler. During your initial call, you can share what’s going on for you and ask us any questions you may have.

Get started by scheduling your initial phone consultation or appointment today.