Question 1

Can you work with clients anywhere in the country?

Accepted Answer

Therapists are only able to provide therapy in the states that they are licensed. I am only able to work with residents in Missouri at this time. You must live in Missouri for us to work together virtually.

Question 2

What if I am not sure we are a good fit?

Accepted Answer

Before scheduling a therapy session, I do a free 15 minute consultation call with all potential new clients. This gives us the chance to get to know each other.

Here’s what you can expect:
 • I’ll ask you about why you’re seeking therapy
 • I’ll tell you a bit about myself and my approach as a therapist
 • You can ask me any questions that I didn’t cover
 • We’ll talk about rates, insurance, availability, etc.

Question 3

So we are a good fit! What’s next?

Accepted Answer

After our consultation call, if we both agree that we are a good fit, we will schedule the first therapy appointment. Before our first session, I will send you some brief forms to complete and some documents to sign. I will not be able to meet with you until you complete these forms.

Question 4

What is the first therapy session like?

Accepted Answer

We will briefly review the intake forms that you completed electronically. I will spend the majority of the time getting to know you at a pace that is comfortable for you —these initial questions and our discussion will likely continue through the second session. Please feel free to ask questions or bring a list of concerns or topics you would like to cover. By the end of our first two sessions, we will have come up with goals together of what you hope to accomplish in therapy.

Question 5

How often will we meet?

Accepted Answer

I meet with the majority of my clients on a weekly basis. I ask that all new clients commit to meeting weekly, for at least the first 6 - 8 weeks. This allows me to get to know you and your presenting concerns. Additionally, you will start seeing progress quickly with weekly sessions. I may recommend that we increase or decrease the frequency of sessions to best meet your needs.

Question 6

How long will I need to be in therapy?

Accepted Answer

The duration of your treatment is individualized based on your own personal needs. Overall, there is no set length of time I can estimate for our time together. This will be a collaborative process, from the beginning to the end.

That being said, my approach is solutions focused. Most clients I work with find that they’ve met their goals in 6 to 12 months and no longer need therapy. I also have clients who choose to remain in therapy for much longer. These clients have seen improvements and still really enjoy having ongoing support on a weekly or biweekly basis.

Question 7

How will we wrap things up at the end of my time in therapy?

Accepted Answer

One thing that I ask of all my clients is that at the end of our time together in therapy, that we have a closure session. Due to the vulnerability experienced in our sessions, it can be therapeutic to end our work together with intentional reflection. This session often looks like celebrating your growth and reflecting on what we have both experienced in our shared relationship. I know that goodbyes can be hard, but we can provide each other with closure. Of course, just because you are ending therapy for a season does not mean we cannot ever work together again. I love when clients come back to therapy to work through different seasons of life together!

Question 8

Do you provide clients with a diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

I choose to refrain from diagnosing clients, especially early on in our time together. I prefer to get to know each client, work with them to make sense of their unique symptoms, and see where we need to focus our sessions to help alleviate stressors. There may be times where I bring up some diagnostic criteria I am seeing in our sessions as well as discuss your view of diagnosis or potential diagnostic labels. Working together we can definitely explore diagnosis and I can help provide resources or referrals to provide clarity, however I do not believe diagnosis is relevant for every client.

SWM

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