FAQ's
How do I know which psychotherapist is right for me?
In short, you don’t. Every practitioner regardless of credentials and training is going to think about and practice therapy differently. This is why I offer an initial FREE session to give us a chance to assess our working together before committing to the work. You want to make sure you chose to work with a therapist who has an approach, style, means of communicating, presence, and capabilities that suit your personality and needs regardless of their background.
How do you feel about prescription psychotropic medications (i.e. Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, etc.)?
My license and credentials do not in any way qualify me to make prescriptions or professional recommendations regarding one’s use of any sort of medication. However, I do believe that medications can play a role in therapy (both good and bad). There is ample evidence to suggest that pairing medications with talk therapy is of great benefit to people. This is not to suggest that medications are right for everybody, but rather that those currently taking medication are encouraged to work with a therapist to supplement their treatment with counseling for more holistic results. At the same time, I do believe that psychotropic medications are often times wrongly prescribed (either the wrong medication is prescribed or someone who doesn’t need medication is given a prescription) for a variety of reasons. I try to caution clients and others in my personal life to only take them if they and their doctor feel they need to, but not to rely too strongly on them. They are designed to curb your symptoms, not solve your problems, help you change, or help you with yourself.
Are your sessions confidential?
Yes. Generally speaking, everything you tell me during a session is kept completely confidential. This being said, there are three circumstances where I am legally required to break confidentiality: when you express plans to hurt yourself, if you describe plans to harm someone else, and if a judge orders me to disclose information that you shared in session. I am also a mandated reporter for child abuse and child neglect. This is true for all clinicians.
Do you write notes during sessions?
Typically, no. However, I do keep a notebook next to me in case I should need. Sometimes I will write down specific things you say for my own memory, but I generally try to keep the sessions more interactive and write up notes immediately afterwards. I also may use a pen and paper to draw diagrams to help you more clearly see some of the patterns that you get into. This can be particularly useful with couples and families.
If you think relationships are a big part of helping people change, why do I need to see a psychotherapist when I have my friends and family?
The support we receive from friends and family is a critical part of our lives. However, because they know us and because they adhere to common social norms, they often times reinforce the very traits in ourselves that we want or may need to change. The dynamics of these relationships largely depend on us staying the same. Especially when we find ourselves in a vulnerable position, we look to our others for support and care. Each of these relationships has a certain role in our lives and with these roles come boundaries, rules, and certain dynamics that can get in the way of helping us change.
While therapy certainly depends on support and caring, it also has a clear objective of allowing for change by taking us to areas in our psyche we never knew existed. In this way, therapy is quite different from a friendship. Each has its place in helping us throughout life, and clearly there are overlaps in how they each serve us.