 How do you choose a therapist?
How do you prepare for Your First Visit?
Need helpful links to other sites?
Helpful books to consider:
General Interest
Depression
Anxiety
Relationships
Communication
Eating & Body Concerns
Parenting
Boys/ Adolescence
Girls/ Adolescence
Divorce
ADHD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Stress and Lifestyle Management
Women
Grief
Aging
How do you choose a therapist?
Once you make sure the office is convenient for you, the therapy is offered at a price you can afford, and that the therapist has expertise in your main area of concern, you need to assess your comfort level and personality “fit”. Your relationship with your therapist is paramount to the success of your therapy. You should feel listened to and understood in a deeper way than you usually do. You need to feel comfortable enough to present yourself authentically, and it is the therapist’s job to provide a therapeutic, non judgmental environment that is nurturing to you. In a confidential and safe environment, I assist you in seeing your motivations, emotions and patterns of behavior in a way that is very different than what you are accustomed to. It is not unusual for a patient coming to a therapy session to feel as if they have entered a sanctuary, or “shelter from the storm”. It typically takes up to three sessions to make sure you feel the therapeutic relationship is the one that is right for you.
If I am not a good fit for you, I will make sure you are referred to a more appropriate therapist. This will include passing on all clinical information (with your consent) so that you have a seamless interface with someone right for you.
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Preparing for Your First Visit
I will do everything I can to make your first visit comfortable, but it can be scary. Sometimes your mind may go blank when you first step into my office. The following are some suggestions for how to prepare:
1. Come with specific questions you want to ask.
2. Keep a log or journal. Keeping track of your mood changes will be helpful for me. Just a few lines a day are valuable. In each entry, include:
- How you are feeling that day.
- Your current symptoms, including physical. You may not think these are relevant, but they often are important clues in determining the right approach for you.
- Any events that may have affected your mood.
- How much sleep you got the night before?
3. Ask friends and family about changes they have noticed in your behavior. They often see changes that we ourselves are blind to.
Free initial phone consultation
Confidentiality:
Issues discussed in therapy are important and are generally legally protected as both confidential and “privileged”. I can not legally or ethically share any information without your written consent. However, there are limits to the privilege of confidentiality, and these will be discussed at the first session.
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Helpful links to other sites:
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Helpful books to consider: General Interest
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Helpful books to consider: Depression
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Helpful books to consider: Anxiety
- The Pathway - Laurel Mellin
- The Anxiety &Phobia Workbook - Bourne
- The Good News About Anxiety - Gold
- Full Catastrophe Living-Kabat - Zinn
- Self Nurture - Doinar
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Helpful books to consider: Relationships
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Helpful books to consider: Communication 
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Helpful books to consider: Eating & Body Concerns
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Helpful books to consider: Parenting
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Helpful books to consider: Boys/ Adolescence
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Helpful books to consider: Girls/ Adolescence
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Helpful books to consider: Divorce
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Helpful books to consider: ADHD
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Helpful books to consider: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
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Helpful books to consider: Stress and Lifestyle Management
- Host or Hostage? A Guide for Surviving House Guests - Darlene Dennis
- The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook - Davis, Eshelman, McKay
- Simple Abundance - Breathnach
- The Simple Living Guide - Luhrs
- Your Money or Your Life - Robin
- The Solution - Laurel Mellin
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Helpful books to consider: Women
- The 3-Day Solution Plan - Laurel Mellin
- The Female Brain - Brizendine
- Woman: An Intimate Geography - Angier
- Maternal Desire - de Marneffe
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Helpful books to consider: Grief
- Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss – Edelman
- A Talk Before Sleep - Berg
- Grief Recovery Handbook - James & Friedman
- When Children Grieve - James, Friedman & Matthews
- I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye - Noel & Blair
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Helpful books to consider: Aging
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