What to Expect

Making the first call to inquire about therapy can be intimidating. It takes courage and I want to acknowledge this: you are taking a big step! In an effort to help calm your possible fear and anxiety, I will outline what you can expect, from the very beginning, in working with me.

To begin, you can give me a call at 970.414.0954. On this phone call we will briefly talk about what you may need support with. We will also schedule our first meeting: the consultation.

I offer a free 15 minute consultation to allow us to meet and determine if we are a good fit. We will discuss your need(s) and how I may be of support to you. At the end of the 15 minutes we will determine whether or not we will move forward based on your feelings of comfort and my professional competence regarding your particular need(s). If I feel that your needs are outside of my scope of practice/knowledge or that another clinician would be a better fit, I will give you referrals at this time.

When we schedule the consultation, we will schedule for 75 minutes. I have found that once we have determined we are a good fit people are ready to get started in their work and are able to do so at that time.

In general, in our first session we will begin with paperwork as well as building our relationship. These documents will include a HIPAA form, my professional disclosure form, and an in-depth intake form. The HIPAA form and my professional disclosure are for your benefit as a client regarding your privacy and your rights also informing you of my policies regarding cancellation, payment, and so forth. This time allows for questions based on any of the forms to ensure you are clear on the process. The in-depth intake allows me to better understand you and your needs while also asking you what your goals in therapy are.

---NOTE: I require a credit card to be on file for any late cancellations or missed appointments, please bring whichever card you would like to have on file to our consultation/first session.

After I gather more information and have a better understanding of you and your needs, I will begin to conceptualize how to best provide you with the space and support you need. Throughout our time, things will likely shift as you begin to move through your process and with that the structure or the way therapy goes will as well. Because my theoretical orientation is client-centered, solution focused, and humanistic, you will be in the driver’s seat as I guide you in your journey; essentially a collaboration.

In the beginning, I believe it is best to meet weekly to ensure your needs are being met while also providing ample time to delve in, process, and work together. At minimum, we will need to meet every two weeks. As you gain stability and confidence in your new skills and process, we will begin to have more time between sessions.

In regards to length of sessions, we’ve come to expect therapy to be done in 55 minutes, essentially in what is known as the “therapeutic hour”. While this time frame can and does help you accomplish your therapeutic goal(s), we aren’t limited to this time frame. Additional time can be beneficial to cover more ground, to allow for a slower pace, or to lessen the overall amount of sessions. Bigger chunks of time can be especially beneficial for relational therapy. Based on your needs, we can tailor session lengths from the most common 55 minute session to a half day intensive (cost is pro-rated off of the therapeutic hour rate).

I am more than happy to design a custom intensive that may not be currently listed. Please contact me and we can create your ideal intensive.

Ideally, we will terminate when you have accomplished your therapeutic goals. We will move from weekly to bi-weekly to monthly sessions. Once we determine you are close to reaching all of your goals, we will begin to discuss your termination. Your termination session will be a way for all of us to look back on your progress, discuss any final pieces, share gratitude, and gain closure.

In reality, life happens and there are times when you may need to pause your work with me. If that is the case, please communicate this with me. I am happy to pause and pick up where we left off when the time is right.