Your First Appointment

If you are an adult seeking therapy for yourself or a couple seeking counseling...

The Initial (“Intake”) Session
During the first session, which lasts about an hour, you and your psychologist will talk about how therapy works, any past experiences you have had with psychotherapy, and answer any questions you might have. You and your therapist will also discuss the reasons why you are seeking therapy at this time. In addition, the psychologist will ask you some questions to start getting to know you and to better understand your current situation. You will have the opportunity to tell your therapist anything you think is important, as well as discussing any concerns you might have about seeking help.

If you are asked about anything that you are not yet ready to talk about, just let us know and we will move on to other topics of conversation.

The therapist will talk with you about how to reach him/her if needed, as well as other resources available to you in case of an emergency. The psychotherapist might also suggest exercises for you to do or topics to think about between sessions to help “jump start” the therapy or to practice some of the skills you are beginning to develop.

Paperwork
As part of the initial session, the psychologist will also go over our intake paperwork with you. You are welcomed to see most of the paperwork ahead of time and can also print it out and fill in any or all of it prior to your first session. The intake paperwork is located in the “Forms” section of our website. We will review parts of it with you to ensure that you understand and agree to our policies and procedures and that you are aware of confidentiality and its limits, federal privacy laws, etc. A few additional forms are required if you want our office manager to submit claims on your behalf to your insurance company. We will have you complete these forms either during the first session or soon thereafter. If you and your psychologist were not able to get through all of the forms during the initial session, the therapist will generally ask that you complete them soon thereafter.

Insurance Card and Payment
Please bring your insurance card with you to the first session for us to copy, as well as a means of payment for the session. We accept cash, checks, and all credit/debit cards.

Therapy Sessions
After the intake appointment, therapy sessions typically last 45-50 minutes, during which you and your psychologist will continue to address your issues in various ways. No additional paperwork is required after the initial intake, unless a special circumstance arises (i.e., if you would like us to speak with your medical doctor or psychiatrist, write a letter to your job, etc.).