I ask new clients to fill out paperwork in advance, and then to come for a 90-minute initial session. In this first meeting, I will ask a lot of questions and work to understand your concerns – and you’ll be able to get a sense of how it is to work with me.  By the end of the session, we’ll reach an agreement about whether engaging in therapy together is likely to be helpful for you. We’ll agree on some specific goals, discuss how therapy will proceed, and set a time for regular meetings. Typically, I offer 50-minute therapy sessions.

For some clients, psychotherapy is fairly structured, with some homework and sometimes record-keeping to track the interplay of thoughts, feelings, actions and results. For others, therapy is a freer-flowing conversation focusing on patterns of interaction and problem-solving in relationships. For all clients, therapy explores both the conscious and the automatic aspects of emotions and actions, and involves applying new knowledge to make new choices in everyday life.

Therapy is a safe place to address difficult feelings, thoughts, habits and experiences. It requires effort and commitment. By turns, therapy can be reassuring, challenging — and, ultimately, liberating.