Nothing happens unless something is moved.
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Albert Einstein
Photo: P.C. Twichell
Why Psychotherapy?
People come to therapy for many different reasons - anxiety or depression; grief and mourning; difficulty with a life transition; desire for change.
Many are dissatisfied with themselves, or with their relationships and relationship patterns. In therapy, we become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and needs, and the choices we have been making out of habit. We become aware of how our family roles, cultures, relationship histories, and old wounds continue to influence us today. This awareness is the first step towards changing those behaviors and ways of thinking that no longer serve us.
The Counseling Process
Finding the right fit between client and therapist is very important. Generally, the first step would be to arrange a brief phone call. If our schedules, your needs, and my skills seem like a match, at that point we'd schedule your first in-office (or telehealth) appointment. This initial visit will last approximately 75 minutes. We'll talk about the therapy process, and some of the important understandings that must be reached between client and therapist before treatment begins. We will go over office policies, payment, and client confidentiality at this time. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about therapy in general, or about me and the way I work in particular. In addition, I will begin to collect your history, and to hear more about what brings you to seek support. A fuller assessment, and determining the fit between client and therapist, takes between one and three sessions. After your initial appointment, subsequent sessions are 55 minutes in length.
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Each person's treatment is unique. Most clients begin with weekly meetings. For some, only a few sessions may be needed to work through a specific challenge, adjustment, or decision. For others, longer-term work may be necessary to support deep and sustained change.
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The sessions are tailored to your particular needs and personality. At the heart of every successful therapy is a safe and trusting working relationship between client and therapist. In supporting and deepening this connection, our sessions might include psychodynamic work, cognitive-behavioral techniques, mindfulness, somatic (body) awareness, expressive therapies, and other strategies helpful to you on your path toward change.
Paying for Therapy
Payment is due at the time of service. I am no longer in-network with insurance plans. However, I am happy to provide you with a "superbill," or receipt for payment, that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
Mindfulness and Psychotherapy
Mindfulness - the simple practice of gently bringing one's attention back to the present moment - can be a powerful tool in psychotherapy. Anxiety tends to tug us into fear and worry, the unknown future. Depression can make us feel as if we are deep in a rut we can't see out of or escape. In mindfulness practice, we come back to ourselves, and to the freshness of the present moment, where we have the ongoing opportunity to choose something new.
The Hakomi Method*
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A great deal of what people learn in therapy is how to be with themselves - their feelings, fears, thoughts, beliefs, habits - both their brilliance and their challenges. The way we explore those things - in respectful connection with ourself and the therapist - is of vital importance. The Hakomi Method uses mindful self-awareness as a springboard for exploration between client and therapist. In mindfulness, the Hakomi client's experience in the present moment is carefully studied, as any physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts arise. Hakomi is a gentle, slow, and collaborative way of working that can offer opportunities for deep and lasting change.