The consult call is our time to get to know a little bit more about each other. Feel free to come with questions if you have them. I'll ask you some questions about your goals for therapy and history with treatment as well as a few screening questions to make sure that I can offer what you need. Typically these meetings are about 20 minutes and can be done over phone or video call. 

Our initial appointment is the intake appointment. You don't need to prepare anything in particular, but please complete the intake packet at least 24 hours before our initial meeting so that I have time to review. I'll ask you some follow up questions, as well as some additional questions about what you would like to get out of therapy, and more general questions about your life. You are always welcome to skip any questions you don't feel comfortable with. You are also welcome to ask me any questions you might have. Generally we won't start getting into "the work" at this appointment, but we may have a little time at the end to go over some quick strategies or coping skills. 

This varies a lot based on your goals, diagnosis, what interventions are most helpful for you, and where we are in the treatment process, but here is the typical flow: 

• Check in, connect, share updates about how the week has been and overall mood and symptoms.

• Identify a theme or goal (or a couple) for the session that day.

• Work on that goal using various therapy interventions. This is where the most variation happens! Sometimes this piece is collaborative and unstructured, sometimes we follow a highly structured protocol. Sometimes it will feel like a conversation about things that are bothering you (or things to celebrate!) and sometimes we will be working together on actively practicing a coping skill or nervous system regulation. We can move, we can sit, we can talk, we can be silent. This is all highly dependent on what is working well for you, what you are comfortable with, and what we're working towards.

• Close out by checking in on how the session felt, any changes that might have come up in mood or emotions, identify takeaways or things to work on before the next session, and confirm our next appointment. 

Yes, with some exceptions. Confidentiality is an important aspect of the counseling relationship. Because mental health counseling is a medical intervention, the same health and privacy laws apply as when you are working with any other medical professional. The few exceptions to this are mandatory reporting laws and any plans one might have to hurt themselves or others. If you have any questions about what I am required to report, please ask!

The duration of counseling is highly dependent on goals, symptom severity, and diagnosis. The typical range of duration is 3 months to 5 years+. A very wide range! Most clients start to feel some improvement in symptoms after about 3 months of weekly sessions. However, clients with very specific, isolated issues they are working on may only need a few sessions. Typically issues that have been present for a longer duration of time and with more intense symptoms will require a longer duration of treatment, while those with less intense symptoms that have persisted for a shorter duration of time will require a shorter duration of treatment. In your intake we will identify some baseline metrics regarding your mood and symptoms as well as your goals for therapy and will use that to monitor your progress and determine treatment plan. If you ever have concerns regarding your treatment plan or progress, please discuss them with me! 

Dance/movement therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration. It recognizes the mind-body connection and encourages self-exploration through movement, allowing for the expression of thoughts and feelings. Dance/movement therapy can range from full bodied movement to more subtle movement and building of body awareness.