Therapy

The Therapy Process

Beginning psychotherapy involves a thoughtful commitment of time, energy, and financial resources.  I strongly believe you should feel comfortable with the mental health provider you choose and are hopeful about the therapy.

During our first meetings, I will assess whether I can be of benefit to you. During these initial sessions, I gather information regarding your current difficulties and relevant history.  Upon completing this evaluation, I will discuss with you my initial impressions and how I think we should proceed. At this time, we can both decide whether I am the appropriate clinician to meet your treatment needs.

Once psychotherapy is initiated, I typically schedule one session per week for 50 minutes.  I am happy to schedule more frequent sessions if necessary, and to reduce the frequency of sessions (i.e., to once every 2-3 weeks) if needed, as you make progress towards your goals, and/or toward the end of therapy.

The Tailored Treatment Framework

I work from an integrative perspective and rely on a broad range of techniques, including psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, relational-cultural, and family systems interventions. In addition, I am trained in several evidence-based psychotherapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT). Drawing from an integrative approach has the advantage of allowing greater flexibility in treatment and finding interventions that can be tailored, are effective, and can be embraced by a wider range of clients.

At the core, I view therapy as an open and authentic partnership between us. It requires your active involvement and best effort. I expect us to plan our work together and work hard to follow that plan. From time to time, we will look together at our progress and goals. If we think we need to, we can then change our treatment plan, its goals, or its methods. As a psychologist, I bring certain expertise to our collaboration while you bring self-knowledge, the ability to learn from your life experiences, and a vision of what you want your life to be.