What to Expect

I love knowing what I am getting into especially when something is new and more often than not usually "I don't know what I don't know". 

So after you contact me we discuss:

• Meeting times/dates
• payment/Insurance process
• Simple practice client portal and Headway insurance (emails from services I use to make our process EASIER
• Paperwork (ie intake forms, informed consent (aka more what to expect when you attend counseling) and testing to help with diagnoses.

During our first appointment: 

• This is for me to get to know you and get an idea for what are the major issues that bring you to counseling
• Most likely, I am not going to diagnose you within the first meeting Diagnoses are great but given too soon  (in my opinion is not helpful).

In between appointments:

• You will not hear from me unless there is a need to cancel and reschedule an appointment we agreed upon due to sickness or et. al. 
• If i see you out I will not speak to you unless you speak to me and I will everything in my power to protect your confidentiality. (see informed consent).

Is Counseling forever? What about brief counseling?

• Counseling was never intended to be forever and if that is the case I don't think I am doing my job very well. In fact I am attempting to work myself out of a job with you. One way we counselors describe the process is: "riding the wave of counseling,"sometimes  (most likely at the beginning we will see a lot of each other) but as you get better, our duration and frequency will change and you will need me less and less. 

I hope this helps you feel more at ease and maybe helps you formulate more questions to get the answers you need.

Godspeed, 

Rebecca