What to Expect
Virtual Office Tour
... during your first visit
The first visit to my Palm Harbor therapy office can bring about emotions ranging from disinterest, to mild anxiety, to sheer panic. Let me reassure you that you are not alone in whatever you are feeling, and my goal is to take things at your pace.
Our first session is an opportunity for me to understand your challenges and your strengths. We will work together on identifying the most important goals for treatment, and the process for reaching those goals. I'll also want to know a bit about your background and history to put current issues into a broader context.
Even more importantly, the first session is a chance for you to get a feel for who I am as a person and a therapist, and whether you can see yourself trusting me with your treatment. A strong relationship is crucial to making treatment successful, and you deserve success! If for whatever reason you do not feel a connection, I will happily provide you with options of other therapists that will hopefully better suit you.
So... come prepared to answer questions about yourself, and also to ask any questions that will help you get a feel for me.
... during subsequent visits
The second session and beyond is where we start putting our treatment plan into action. Of course we're still getting to know each other and drilling down on specific goals, but most of our time will be spent on actionable strategies and techniques to help you feel better.
To start, we'll meet either weekly or every other week. This really allows us to build that strong therapeutic relationship, and start seeing some progress that helps build momentum and motivation.
I practice using techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - both of which are demonstrated to be effective at reducing the symptoms of anxiety. While those titles may mean nothing to you now, hopefully you'll soon understand the benefits they give us in taking power away from the negative thoughts you're having.
We will work together to help you feel less stuck, and have a more productive perspective on the issues bothering you today. We will help you spend less time thinking about bad things from your past, or worrying about what may happen tomorrow or two weeks from now. We will come up with specific actions you can start using immediately to see changes in your depression, anxiety, or relationships.
My goal is to help you start to feel better quickly so you can get on with living the life you always pictured for yourself.
I want you to feel a little peace in a chaotic world!