The less aware we are of our thoughts, feelings, motives and behaviors, the more they control us. Psychotherapy helps clients understand their “narrative” the experiences that shaped them, the defenses that have helped protect them and the patterns or habits that are now preventing them from living a life. Psychotherapy is a conversation. The client tells a story, the therapist offers ideas about it’s meaning, the client responds with his/her interpretation, and so on. It is important that psychotherapy progress at a pace that is comfortable and safe for the client. Change can feel frightening or overwhelming, and may not occur quickly. But commitment to the process is key.

Most people can tell after an initial session whether they feel comfortable with a therapist’s style. Please feel free to speak up if you do not feel comfortable with the therapist. You are the expert, not them. An alliance of trust is built with your therapist – that is when therapy works best. Contact us today for a consultation.

Many people feel nervous before their first appointment, wondering what their therapist will ask, or what they should tell their therapist. Your therapist will primarily want to hear the reasons you made the appointment, what you have already done to try and solve the problem, and what you hope to accomplish in therapy. To better understand you, your therapist will likely want to know how things are going in the important parts of your life (relationships, work, school, etc.) as well as information about your background. If you and your therapist decide to continue working together, you will begin developing goals for therapy.

Some people begin to feel better as soon as they make their appointment or at the time of their first session. There can be a sense of relief when you make the commitment to address an issue that is problematic. More often, however, people do not feel better immediately. Therapy is sometimes emotionally painful, because it involves an active effort to look at yourself and your life situations in a very deep and honest way, and to make some difficult changes. If the problems that bring you to therapy were easy to solve, you would have solved them without the guidance of a professional. Though the short-term distress of addressing problems and making changes may feel challenging, keep in mind that the potential long-term gains can feel well worth it. When therapy is successful, the positive gains in self-esteem, improved relationships and coping skills will far outweigh the distress of making changes.

Set Apart Psychotherapy is an out of network provider with many insurance companies, which means that I do not bill insurance companies directly. Your counseling services may be eligible for reimbursement through out-of-network benefits, medical spending or health care savings accounts. Health insurance plans and benefits vary. If you are interested in using your health insurance to meet with me, please call your insurance provider to inquire about reimbursement for out-of-network counseling services. Set Apart Psychotherapy will provide you with a Super bill at the end of each month, which you can submit to your insurance company for out-of-network coverage/reimbursement. Please note, partnering with insurance panels may be considered in the future and will be updated on the website during that time.

Yes, Set Apart Psychotherapy uses Stripe to receive online payments through my secure patient portal. Stripe works with any US-issued and most internationally-issued magstripe or chip cards bearing a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB, or UnionPay logo. The following card types are accepted: Credit, Corporate, Debit (processed like credit), Prepaid, Rewards.

Often, a person enters therapy with some specific goals in mind. One of the things you will do with your therapist is periodically review, clarify and, if desired, adjust your goals. When your goals are met to your satisfaction, you can decide to discontinue treatment, remain in treatment to make sure you maintain your progress, or set new goals. Remaining in therapy is always your choice.

If you and your partner are able to discuss the reasons, it is a good idea to do so. Sometimes partners will come in for a first appointment if they understand that it is an assessment and does not commit them to continuing in treatment. Sometimes, speaking to the therapist over the phone can dispel fears about the appointment. Also, partners may feel more comfortable starting with individual therapy rather than couples therapy. Although any couples’ issues are best addressed with both people in the session, there are still benefits to coming in alone and exploring changes you can make which could positively impact your relationship.