What to expect

Walking into your first therapy session can be intimidating, nerve wracking, and/or exciting.  If you’ve never been in therapy or counseling before, it’s normal to feel unsure of what to expect if your only images come from TV and the movies.  It is important to have an idea of what you will be facing, so I have written this section as a way to put your mind at ease if you are feeling shaky, or to simply provide the information if you are looking forward to your session.

 

Addiction Support:

–If you are the spouse, child, parent, sibling, relative, or friend of someone who has been abusing substances, a therapy session will be a safe place for you to openly share your experiences, worries, fears, and frustrations as you experience addiction through your loved one

-I will share my personal experiences when appropriate, but I will never encourage you to follow my choices or handle things in the same way that I did; I am here to support you and to encourage you, not to direct you.

 -Some sessions will focus on you and your personal strength, even if you don’t yet recognize that you have it.  We will work on your self-care, your acceptance, and your coping skills.

Couples/Marital counseling:

-There may be more “blame,” “finger pointing,” or accountability towards one partner, but during sessions, the goal is not to only focus on one  individual’s actions, behaviors, or beliefs.  Couples counseling is exactly how it sounds – it focuses on the couple as a whole, meaning that each individual has an equal amount of participation and accountability in the session.

-There will be no judgment in the sessions, and no persuasion on my part to have one partner leave the relationship.

-Partners will be advised to fully listen to and respect one another during the session, and it will be important to take turns speaking to ensure that neither partner feels ignored

-Couples are often given “homework” assignments as a way for the work done in sessions to be continued at home.  These assignments are meant to strengthen the couple’s communication and bond, and are not intended to have any negative impact.

Individual therapy:

-In your first session, we will create therapeutic goals that we will work towards each week.  These goals can be flexible and may change over time.

-You will be invited to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences as they relate to your therapeutic goals.

-Individuals are often given “homework” assignments as a way for the work done in sessions to be continued at home.  You will be challenged appropriately through these assignments, and they will be designed in a way that will promote self-growth and discovery.