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I have compiled a list of the most frequent questions that I have received over my career. It’s normal and encouraged for patients to ask many questions when choosing to work with a licensed Mental Health Service Provider. Here are some answers to the questions I receive the most. If you can’t find what you are looking for, please get in touch.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a psycho-social intervention that aims to improve mental health. CBT focuses on challenging and changing unhelpful cognitive distortions and behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems. Originally, it was designed to treat depression, but its uses have been expanded to include treatment of several mental health conditions, including anxiety. CBT includes several cognitive or behavior psychotherapies that treat defined *psychopathologies using evidenced-based techniques and strategies.
*Psychopathology: the study of psychological and behavioral dysfunction occurring in mental illness or in social disorganization.
Do you offer sliding scale rates?
Yes, we will offer sliding scale rates. We will not exclude anyone who is willing to do the work because they cannot pay. We believe that everyone should have access to proper mental health care, and we want to live what we believe.
We will request for you to show proof of income in order to be qualified for a reduce rate. Please note there is a limited amount of reduce fees per month.
How long are sessions and how many will I need?
Sessions will ordinarily be 45-55 minutes in duration, once per week at a time we agree on, although some sessions may be more or less frequent as needed. This depends upon your issues and how much you would like to accomplish. The time scheduled for your appointment is assigned to you only. If it will be beneficial some clients prefer to schedule appointments every other week. We also meet with some clients once per month if that works best for them.
Each client comes in with different goals for therapy. Some have a specific problem that can be addressed and resolved in just a few sessions. Others have multiples issues and require ongoing sessions for over a longer period. The minimum sessions suggested is 6 weeks.
After some sessions you should begin to develop more control over your emotions and the things that once seemed beyond your control. We will know if your goals are being met because we will look at them and rate the degree to which you feel you are meeting them.
As your goals are met and problems decrease, so does your need for therapy. At this point you may decide to reduce the frequency of your appointments. When all your goals are met or you feel your issues are manageable, you may decide to stop therapy.
Clients do return to therapy after some period has passed. Sometimes other issues have surfaced, or previous issues becomes a concern again. Or clients sometimes just want a “tune up.” We will always make the time for our returning clients.
What can I expect during the first session?
If you did not complete your intake form prior to session this will need to be completed and consent forms will need to be sign. This can take 25-30 minutes. During this time, it will allow us to build rapport, gather information about your personal history, family history and about the problem that led you to seek counseling.
Some people who have never attended therapy before may be a little nervous. This is quite normal, and we will try to put you at ease. You can tell us as much as you feel comfortable with during your initial and future sessions.
After the first session, then what?
Most people feel more relaxed by the second session. You may be ready to begin the process of figuring out what is causing your distress and we can start to identify and develop your treatment plan goals. Your treatment plan goals will be written down and periodically will be reviewed to see if you have achieved some goals and if treatment plan needs to be modified.
I will discuss several counseling theories and techniques and give you a brief explanation of how each one works and why one might work better for you than another.