Cancellation policy/fees:
If you do not show up for your scheduled session, you will be charged the $100 self-pay rate for that time. Insurance companies do not reimburse for this fee. If you cancel your appointment earlier in the same day as your scheduled appointment, you will be charged a $50 late cancellation fee. To avoid this fee, cancel your appointment at least the day before it is scheduled.
How can therapy help me and what’s different from talking to a friend or family member?
Therapists can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues of depression, grief, anxiety, stress management, relationship troubles, and unresolved childhood issues or trauma.
This is different from talking to a best friend for a couple of reasons:
- There are legal limitations to confidentiality, such as in cases of imminent danger, abuse, or a judge-issued subpoena, but in most cases you do not have to worry about what might get around to friends or family members.
- No judgment /bias or expectations. Even those we love and who love us and would not deliberately harm us have their opinions on situations that may not always be in our best interest or are clouded by other personal history. You can feel more free to say things you might feel too uncomfortable to say in front of friends or family.
- Counselors have specific training and this training is ongoing as a matter of licensure.
Benefits of therapy include increased self-awareness, better understanding of your goals and values, development of better relationship skills, new coping skills, discovering new ways to solve problems, improved confidence and self-esteem.
Why not just medication?
Although there are people who can get the results and symptom reduction they are looking for by taking a medication, it is long established that therapy is often a necessary adjunct to medication management. Medication alone also cannot solve all issues. You can best achieve sustainable real growth when treatment methods are combined because it becomes not just about minimizing symptoms, but exploring the roots and what can actually be changed, internal and/or external, to resolve the problem.
How long will it take?
This is not possible to answer in general terms. It depends on your situation, your goals, what strategies we use, etc. Some people would like to have a therapist to go to for their whole life, while others would prefer a short-term solution-based therapy and never return again! This will be discussed in the first couple of sessions as well as throughout progress in therapy.