What should I expect on my first visit?

You will be asked to come to the office about 10 minutes prior to your appointment time to complete a few short informational pages about yourself. You may download these pages, complete them at home and bring them into your initial appointment. When we meet I’ll be asking you for your goals in therapy and getting a history about yourself and the situation that brings you to therapy. This is a good time for you to become acquainted with me to decide if you think you will be comfortable working with me. I always respect your decision and value your input.

Documents to fill out:
Office Policies Intake Information Intake Form HIPPA (for your info only)

Why would psychotherapy be helpful to me?

Many times we are overwhelmed by situations that we can't seem to get a handle on. Either we ask well-meaning friends or family, or we're too embarrassed and keep it to ourselves. Your friends and family will always have a bias, as well they should, and may be unable to be objective in helping you. A good professional therapist will be able to help you sort through your feelings, discover unproductive patterns and work with you on figuring out solutions.
When working with relationships a therapist can provide skills for improving communication and problem-solving. A therapist isn't a "referee", but one who can listen carefully to the issues you bring in and provide alternative ways to resolve your difficulties.

Why should I see a psychotherapist?

A psychotherapist doesn't tell you what you should do, but work with you on finding your own inner strengths within you and build on those to resolve your issues. Psychotherapists are trained in different techniques for different goals in therapy. It's important to find a therapist who doesn't have a "one size fits all" philosophy because we are all different and bring in different ways of viewing the world. A psychotherapist is open to your particular goals and sees you interfacing with your environment. A psychotherapist does not prescribe medication, but if that is a possible recommendation can refer you to a psychiatrist for further evaluation of medication.

How effective is therapy?

Since I have been a psychotherapist for over 20 years, I wouldn't stay in this profession if I didn't think it was effective. We work on setting your own goals, defining them, and then go about working toward them. The expertise of the psychotherapist along with your willingness to work and take some risks, make some changes, will make psychotherapy very effective and rewarding. The goal is for you to feel better!

Will my personal concerns be kept private?

Absolutely! Confidentiality is of the utmost importance. The only exceptions, which is by law, is if you are in danger of hurting yourself (suicide) or others (homicide) or child/elder abuse. Otherwise your information is completely confidential. It is important to know that if you decide to use your health care insurance that the diagnosis and dates are sent to the insurance company.

Should I use insurance or not?

Choosing to not use insurance allows you to have longer sessions if that is helpful for you, as well as sessions as often as you feel you would like, instead of what insurance dictates. One can also enjoy the benefit of their name not going outside of the therapist’s office, and into an insurance company’s files.

What is the fee per session?

My fee is $100 for the inital appointment and $90 per session thereafter.
For your convenience I accept Master Card and Visa for amounts of $50 or more.

Benefits of paying privately:

Customized session length.
If in crisis - daily 15min. phone calls to check in
Appointments as often as you would like.
Privacy – your name does not leave the office and you will not be tracked by insurance.