My Approach
I approach therapy based on the idea that there are two experts in the room. I have expertise in understanding the development and treatment of psychological distress and promoting wellness, while you have expertise in your own lived experience, your preferences, and values. Based on these two forms of expertise, you and I will work together to create your therapy. What your therapy will look like, will vary based upon you, but here's the basic outline:
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Stage 1
We will first work together to understand your goals for therapy, how you hope things will change at the conclusion of therapy, and your preferences. In addition, I will complete an assessment to better understand your symptoms, distress, and strengths. I will then collaborate with you to create an individualized treatment plan, including evidence-based measures so we can keep track of your progress. Throughout this stage, I will provide you with education about any diagnoses, different treatments, and different principles that may help you meet your therapy goals. My goal is that you will feel empowered throughout this process and will leave knowing more about yourself and your therapy. Even though we are often not yet formally working on therapy goals at this stage, clients often report some improvement as they learn more about themselves and have a sense for how things may change.
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Stage 2
We will work together using your treatment plan as our roadmap to work on your goals. We will typically meet weekly and during each session we'll check in and see how we're progressing so that we will know how things are going and whether or not we need to make any changes. Many of the tools I use during this stage are informed by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), client-centered approaches, mindfulness, and emotion-focused work. It's during this stage that we will often see the biggest changes. As we reach your treatment goals, we will assess whether new goals should be made and/or whether it's time to move to the next stage.
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Stage 3
Stage 3 is all about maintenance and planning for you to do more of the work on your own. It's during this stage that we often move to seeing each other less frequently. Towards the end of this stage we will talk more about termination (ending therapy) and how you can effectively continue taking care of your wellness after termination.
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Stage 4 ("Boosters" as needed)
No matter how much progress you made in therapy, there may be times where you need a "booster". A "booster" could look like coming in for a session or two to problem-solve or troubleshoot a skill that we worked on previously, or could result in us working on a new treatment plan together. Although sometimes individuals view therapy as something they do once and are done with, I want to encourage you to view mental health care similar to physical health care--we all need checkups and care when we feel unwell.
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