What to Expect
Consult Call
I offer free, brief consult calls to help us determine whether we are a good fit for therapy or assessment services. During the call, I’ll ask more about what brings you to therapy and will invite you to ask any questions you have about my style and the process of getting started. For couples, it’s best if all three of us find a time to connect.
Intake Process
Prior to our first session, I will send you introductory paperwork and answer all questions you have about pricing and scheduling. During our first session, we will focus on getting to know one another. I’ll invite you to dive into your story, and I’ll give you an honest assessment of if or how I can help.
Over the next three sessions, I will seek to understand your background, motivations, and therapeutic goals. Through this process, I invite you to ask questions and give feedback to ensure that you feel comfortable about our therapeutic relationship and treatment plan.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
For Couples
For couples the process is slightly different. I meet with the couple for our first session. I then like to schedule individual sessions with each member of the couple, to gain a deeper sense of their personal histories. After that, I meet with the couple again, offer my sense of their strengths and challenges, and collaboratively build a plan forward.
For Teens
Therapy with my teen clients often begins with a parent consultation — a chance to meet, share concerns, and get a feel for whether we're a good fit. From there, I work hard to build trust and a sense of privacy with my teen clients, ensuring they feel in the driver's seat throughout the process. Every teenager is different, and when it serves the work, I welcome parental collaboration as part of the picture.
Exposure and Response Prevention
In treating OCD or other forms of anxiety, such as social anxiety or specific phobias, I offer a structured, evidence-based approach called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). I regularly monitor progress through client evaluations such as the Y-BOCS. Together, we gradually work through a personalized hierarchy of fears. These exposures—the core of ERP— challenge uncertainty in the office and at home, through weekly homework. My ERP is grounded in two rules: (1) I will always ask your verbal consent prior to an exposure and (2) I will never ask you to do something I myself wouldn’t do.
Psychological Assessment
Many people arrive at assessments after years of feeling like something is off but not knowing quite what—or after receiving explanations that never quite fit. I conduct assessments for children and adults for ADHD, diagnostic clarity, and social and emotional concerns, with a process that is thorough, collaborative, and attentive to the whole person.