I see most clients once or twice a week at a regularly scheduled time. A few people see significant results after a few sessions, but for the vast majority, 10 to 25 sessions is typically recommended.
Some people find that as few as 8 sessions may be all that is needed. For others, progress happens over several months. Deep-seated issues may take years to heal. I am usually able to give a rough estimate of treatment length after about four sessions.The good news is that at any time you can suspend counseling and take your growth with you. Counseling can also be restarted at any future date without any significant loss of momentum. People will often see a therapist “as needed”.
Unfortunately, sometimes one partner is not as willing as the other to come into counseling. However I have often found that it is possible to vastly improve the relationship with just one person involved in counseling.There can even be significant benefits to individual counseling over couples counseling. Working individually allows a “deeper” level of healing than can be done with both partners in the room. For this reason, I often will have frequent individual sessions with partners even when I am seeing them as a couple.You can imagine a relationship as a pair of dancers trying to dance in harmony. If you want to improve the dance, you need to work on coordinating the partner\’s steps. However, it is also important to spend time working with each dancer separately to develop their individual skills. If one or both of the partners have “two left feet”, no amount of coordination will help – they need help individually first.
Yes. In most cases I would recommend the first session have both parties present. However I often will see one or parties individually, and later move to couples counseling. Feel free to call me to discuss you particular circumstance.
The combination of medication and talk therapy is often the most effective treatment for many. I do not prescribe medication personally, but I can provide you with appropriate referrals to psychiatrists. With your permission, I will also maintain contact with your psychiatrist, to ensure that you get the best possible care.
What is shared between a counselor and his/her client is protected by law. Most people highly value the safety this provides. There are a few important exceptions. Examples of these are suspected child abuse; elder abuse and threats of physical harm to self or others.Your name and that you attend counseling will also never be revealed. Even if some one called and asked if you were a client, I would not reveal any relationship with you at all.
Each therapy session is 50 minutes long and starts at the top of the hour.On your first session you should arrive about 15 minutes before your appointment. This will allow you to fill out a short amount of paperwork. The paperwork is similar to what you fill out when visiting a doctor for the first time. The first few sessions are usually spent further understanding the issues troubling you. Later sessions start at the beginning of the hour. These sessions are your place to relax, talk and grow.
