This is a really great question and one that comes up often.  The biggest differences are training and experience and provision of strategies and tools.  A mental health professional can help you approach your situation in a new way by teaching you skills and an alternative perspective, by listening to you without judgment or expectations, and by helping you learn to listen and prioritize yourself.  Furthermore, talking with me is confidential which means that you won’t have to worry about others "knowing my business.” Lastly, if your situation provokes a great deal of negative emotions, a therapist can help you understand and manage these.  Don't get me wrong - friends and family can be a valuable means of support but a therapist can provide you with tools that will last a lifetime. 

Wow, another great question!  It is very important for you to fit well with the person you are going to share personal information with and rely on for expert guidance.  You can determine if the therapist is right for you by how comfortable you feel, by how well you believe you are heard and understood, and by if you believe the therapist can offer you what you need. You may get a vibe quickly or you may have to attend a few sessions to determine if the therapist is the best fit for you.  Either way, it can be helpful to think of some questions to ask a therapist when interviewing them. Yes, I said interview as you are basically hiring a therapist to work with you. Some questions to ask may be - what do you value in therapy, have you ever worked with someone with my concerns or issues, what are your therapeutic approaches, interventions, or philosophies, how long do you recommend therapy, how will I know when I am done with therapy. 

Medications can be effective, but alone they might not resolve your issues or concerns. Sometimes it is helpful to have medication in conjunction with therapy to help stabilize moods and provide more clarity when doing the therapeutic work. Our work together will be designed to explore and unpack the problems you are experiencing and increase your ability to manage these differently and/or better.   

Because each person is an individual and comes to therapy with different concerns and goals, how therapy works and how you will be involved will vary.  Since you are an individual, my therapeutic approach will be tailored to your specific needs and goals.  We will frequently revisit your goals to assess your progress and make changes as needed. I will frequently request your feedback and input in our work together as your input matters.  Your responsibility will be to show up, engage and participate in our sessions, complete practice assignments, and then apply the strategies and tools you learn in your daily life.

Unfortunately, this is not possible to provide because there are many factors that determine this.  Everyone’s circumstances are unique to them, and the length of time it may take for you to accomplish your goals depends on your desire for personal development, your commitment, and the factors that are driving you to seek therapy in the first place.  We will continue to reassess our work together and evaluate your progress along the way.  Sometimes, however, the length of time for therapy is determined by insurance.  We will discuss any limitations for sessions in our initial session and as this information is updated.

I am so glad you are dedicated to getting the most out of our sessions. Your active participation will be crucial to your improvement. It will be important for you to take what you learn in our sessions and apply these new skills, strategies, and tools in your everyday life.  The overall goal of therapy is to help you get to a place where you feel better and function better than when you first started therapy.   

I know getting started with therapy can be confusing especially because state and federal laws, licensing boards, and insurance plans require all mental health professionals to follow very specific guidelines.  Here are the steps to us getting connected and beginning our therapy journey:

• Complete the request an appointment form and the Client Intake Form.
• I will call you on your preferred phone number to discuss if I can provide the services that you need and to explain my services and process.
• If we agree to work together, then I will gather your information and schedule our first virtual session which will be an intake assessment.  this assessment is approximately 90 minutes.
• You will receive an invitation link based on your communication preference which will invite you to Therapy Notes.
• You will set up your Therapy Notes portal account where you will have access to all documents in my practice as well as your chart.  There will be instructions to help you with this process.
• I will send you the forms and consents for you to complete and sign on Therapy Notes.  This are all able to be completed and signed without you having to print documents.  All of these documents will be saved in Therapy Notes in your portal for easy access and to print when needed.  Be aware that there are 11 total forms and consents you will need to complete and sign.  Please complete and sign all forms and consents prior to our first session in order to keep our focus on what brought you into therapy.  
• After our initial virtual session, we will discuss the frequency of appointments and then schedule these.
• If you are interested in having access to a HIPAA-compliant texting option with me, then I will send you a link to Spruce for this.  Spruce is the phone network I use for calls, email, fax, and texts.  There is an encryption texting option that will require you to download the Spruce app.  This app is at no extra cost to you.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.