If I go to therapy, does it mean something is “wrong” with me?

Absolutely not! People go to therapy for all kinds of reasons. People go to therapy to learn better communication, coping skills, self-discovery and many more. Think of therapy as a check-up for your mental health.

Is therapy confidential?

Yes! Both group and individual therapy are confidential with certain exceptions. I am a mandated reporter which means that if I am made aware of child or elder abuse, I am legally obligated to report that to the appropriate authorities. If I have a legitimate concern that you plan to harm yourself or someone else, I will intervene. I will occasionally discuss your case with other clinicians for the purpose of consultation. This is done to provide you with the best treatment possible. I will not give any of your identifying information to other providers without your express permission.

Will I have to talk about my childhood?

To some extent, you will probably wind up talking about it. Why? Because our beliefs that may be interfering with us living a happy and mentally well life are often formed in our childhood and adolescence. If you had a toothache and asked the dentist to give you pain medication, you would get some temporary relief. If you had the dentist find the source of your tooth pain and develop a plan to correct it, your pain would be over. The process might be more unpleasant but it will fix the issue. Forgive the pun, but you must get to the root of the issue to truly fix it.

Do you actually care about me?

Yes, I do. Yes, I do get paid for the services that I provide. That is not the only reason that I do this work. I have an advanced degree, passed my board exam and have completed specialized trainings. I put in that effort because I want you to get the best care that I can offer. I do get to know my clients well and of course I care about seeing them improve.

How do I choose a therapist?

For therapy to work well, you have to work with a therapist that best meets your needs and that you feel comfortable working with. I encourage you to read my profiles to see if you are interested in working with me based on my experience. I also understand that it will take a few sessions for you to decide if you feel a connection to your therapist. I am not offended if you decide it isn’t a good fit for you. This is your journey and you should be walking that path with someone you trust and respect.

Can I involve my partner, friends or family in my treatment?

This is a decision that we will make together with your best interest in mind. Besides the exceptions that we listed, we will not discuss your treatment with anyone unless we have your permission. If it is something that would benefit you and that you are interested in doing, we can collaborate on how to best involve your support system.

How do I know that you know what you are doing? And is this even working?

These are completely normal questions to have. This might be your first experience with therapy and this is all new to you. As previously mentioned, I have a Master of Social Work degree and advanced, specialized training. I only use treatments that are evidence-based. That means that the methods I use have been proven repeatedly to be effective in reducing symptoms. I will develop treatment goals with you because I view this relationship as a partnership. If you ever have further questions, just ask.

How do you know it’s working? That’s a more complicated answer because progress looks different for everyone and is not linear. You may actually feel worse in some cases before you feel better. Remember the toothache example? Well those novocaine shots hurt, but you have to get through them so you can manage the dental work. Sometimes the solution to the problem will require looking at things that are painful. I use scientifically proven assessment tools that can help clarify if you are experiencing a reduction in your symptoms. People around you will notice the change. Your therapist will notice the change. It might be subtle at first, but you’ll notice that you’re better at managing your emotions, as well as regulating your mind and your body in difficult times.

Why don’t you treat all types of mental health diagnoses?

The social work code of ethics is important to me and something that it states is that we will not treat people outside of our “scope of practice”. If I am not confidently trained in a certain issue, I will refer you to someone else who is. All doctors go to medical school and learn a certain amount about a lot of topics. They all know medicine, but they choose to specialize in something and learn a great deal about that area. You might have a great relationship with your podiatrist and work well together. If you suddenly developed a heart condition, your podiatrist wouldn’t be able to help you appropriately with that. It wouldn’t mean that they are a bad podiatrist. It would mean that they aren’t a cardiologist and they know that it wouldn’t be good for you (or them) to try to treat that condition. A good, ethical therapist knows their limits too. For more information on my specialties, please see my bio page.