Individual
Therapy

Individual Therapy is for... you guessed it!... an individual person who is struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, sleep concerns, relationship concerns, emotional/behavioral concerns, or has a previously diagnosed or may need to be diagnosed with a mental or behavioral health disorder. 

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A foundational expectation in the counseling experience is that of complete privacy between the client and therapist. This holds true in most circumstances EXCEPT the following, which we are legally mandated to report or seek additional assistance for any aged individual:

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• Suicidal Ideation including plans to significantly harm oneself 

• Homicidal Ideation including plans to significantly harm someone else

• Child abuse to or by others (sexual, physical, emotional, verbal, or neglect)

• Elder abuse (sexual, financial, physical, emotional, verbal or neglect)

• Dependent Person abuse (sexual, financial, physical, emotional, verbal or neglect)

• Downloading or distributing, or filming, texting or sharing child pornography

  (a minor is a child under the age of 18)

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If you are a parent seeking therapy for your child or adolescent, please know that we generally prefer a team approach between child-parent-therapist (and teacher if applicable), however the majority of the appointment time will be spent with just the therapist and the child/adolescent. This is generally the most productive use of our time and also prevents kids holding back from sharing out of concern for what their parent might think, or looking to their parents for answers. It also prevents parents from interrupting the therapist or the child during the important work we do together.

 

Additionally, children, like adults, have a right to privacy of their thoughts and feelings and we work to honor this in the room- only sharing a child's thoughts or feelings with the parent with the child's permission. This is somewhat scaled based on the child's age, however please know that children often want their parents to know these things and if what comes up in a therapy session is something the parent needs to know we will make sure it is discussed with us all together. Also depending on the age of the child, we will have some sort of follow up with you, the parent, about what we worked on, what the child will be working on, and how you can help them succeed. This is especially relevant when the child needs to work on emotional or behavioral regulation skills.

 

Parent involvement and follow up is less likely with adolescent therapy, but we are open to it to the extent the teen is and we always encourage bringing in parents for additional support, if the teen is willing or we believe it is necessary. Additionally, we welcome emails from parents regarding their concerns or observations at any time to inform our knowledge, with the understanding that we won't be able to have a conversation about those concerns with the parent without the teen's permission.  In all circumstances, the parent and family environment have an important role for success and we often work separately with parents in "parent coaching" sessions.

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How long does therapy take?  This depends on how many areas of difficulty you are experiencing and how much distress you are in. Most people do best with appointments 1x/week for at least 4-6 weeks, and we can reduce the frequency of visits when you start noticing improvement. Some people reach a point of resolution or significant change all at once after a period of time, but most people make gradual improvement and we will work together to phase you out and down at a pace that feels good to you.  Of course you can stop services at any time, but if you have questions or want to do this please say something so we can transition you to someone else or help you end on a good note, meeting your needs as much as possible. Appointments are 50 minutes.