What to Expect When You Come for Your First Appointment
What to Expect When You Call Usually when you call, you will get my voice mail. Although if I'm not with a client, I will answer the telephone. If you get my voice mail, simply leave your name and a number where I can reach you. I always return my calls within one business day. It's not necessary to explain any details about your situation. Just the fact that you are seeking help is all I need to know. I will call you back.
What to Expect When You First Come to the Office
When you arrive at my office, just have a seat in the waiting room and I will come out to greet you. There is no need to knock on the door, just come in and make yourself comfortable. I try to get all the necessary forms filled out before your first session, but if for some reason that hasn't been done, we will do so together before beginning your session.
What Happens in a Therapy Session
Quite simply, in therapy, you talk to me about what is troubling you, and together we try to understand why things certain things are happening with you and how you can change the direction of your life. Our lives are heavily influenced by our unconscious, so as you talk to me, I listen for clues as to what your unconscious is saying, because it wants to be heard so that it can be integrated into your complete Self. Most psychological symptoms are the result of something in our unconscious that is seeking resolution.
How the Session Ends
Therapeutic sessions are 50 minutes, and I always begin and end them promptly. In may experience, I've found that some of the most important work often occurs in the last few minutes of a session. There are many reasons for this, and we can talk about that when you come in, but doing important work can sometimes make it hard to end a session on time. However, I will gently do so by briefly summarizing what we accomplished that day and setting the stage for our next session.
What You Will Do Between Sessions
I usually don't give homework assignments for clients to work on between sessions. Instead, I will suggest things you might focus on for the coming week, in order to gain better insight into what is happening in your life. Your responsibility is simply to process what we discuss in session and to talk about the results of that processing the next time I see you.
For a free, 15-minute telephone consultation, please call me at 559-579-8787.