How To Start Therapy

It can be hard to find a good fit therapist.

Please read the following to see if what i offer matches what you’re seeking.

Please this read this page before scheduling a consultation or first session.

Please note I do not accept insurance and only work with residents of California & Washington State, USA due to licensing laws.

New Client Information

No therapist can be a good fit for every type of client and issue.

Some specialize and are experts in one or two areas. Some are generalists and are good at broad issues. Some may be a good fit on paper, yet mismatched personalities, approaches, and cultural differences get in the way.

Please read the following information and watch my videos to get a better sense of who I am and how I might be able to help.

Click here to read Self Empowerment: How to choose a mental health professional.

Click here to read What to Expect From your Licensed Therapist.

Note: There are no guarantees counseling will solve all problems, or how quickly changes will occur. There are no miracle cures, but it improves the odds, particularly if you start early.

How To Start Therapy


BEGIN YOUR HEALING JOURNEY IN 3 EASY STEPS

  • Click on the underlined links to learn more.

  • Request a first session here.

    Electronic paperwork (7-8 forms) will be sent to you to sign and/or fill out.

    This must be completed within 24-hours, otherwise the session will be canceled, but can be rescheduled.

    This includes:

    • Informed Consent

    • Telehealth Consent

    • HIPAA & Washington State Notice of Rights & Privacy Practices

    • Fee Agreement & Attendance Policy

    • Good Faith Estimate

    • Credit Card Form

    • Questionnaire

    • No Secrets Policy (Couples/Dyad Only)

    Once paperwork is completed within 24-hours, I’ll confirm your first session.

  • We’ll meet online via a HIPAA compliant platform.

    Beginning January 2025, I will offer in person sessions on Mondays in South Seattle (Columbia City).

    I’ll learn more about you, your challenges, and goals.

    At the end of session, we’ll schedule a regular meeting time if we both decide to work together (weekly or every 2 weeks), or you can self schedule sessions on the client portal as needed.

    If not, I’ll provide you referrals and recommendations.

NOTES

  • I do not provide continuous crisis intervention, emergency services, after-hours support, family therapy, care coordination, and/or complex case management services.

  • I can’t take on clients who are in crisis, actively suicidal and homicidal, active eating disorders, active addiction, and/or problematic substance use due to being a one person practice.

  • These issues require a higher level of care where you are provided intensive care (e.g. more than an hour once a week) or a therapist specializing in these areas.

What To Expect


Learn more about what therapy with me is like

  • Our first session is a chance for both of us to get to know one another inquiring about your goals, best hopes, challenges, etc.

    I encourage all clients to share (or not share) how much you want to with me.

    Trust takes time.

    I’ll give you my impression of what’s occurring, how I can help you, and what you can expect as we continue meeting.

    At the end of session, we’ll schedule a regular meeting time if we both decide to work together (weekly or every 2 weeks), or you can self schedule sessions on the client portal as needed.

    If not, I’ll provide you referrals and recommendations.

  • You’ll receive a written treatment plan after 1-2 sessions, so you have structure, a roadmap, and a sense of what to expect as we work together.

    A treatment plan focuses on your goals, barriers/what’s getting in the way, ways to work toward your goals, and when you would know/feel you’d be finished with therapy.

  • We’ll work together to reach your goals.

    I am a more active therapist, rather than a passive therapist meaning I may interrupt you, challenge you, offer you a different perspective, and ask you to try other ways of thinking or relating.

    I may send you resources like articles, videos, podcasts, and/or books you might find relevant in your experiences.

    You might cry, laugh, feel better, feel uncomfortable, have more questions, gain insights, approach new challenges, and/or have new goals.

  • At most, we’ll meet once weekly.

    Most of the work occurs outside of therapy and requires effort, energy, practice, and work from you.

    To reap the most benefits from therapy, think of attending therapy like fitness/working out your mind and psychological wellness.

    The more you practice your mental and psychological muscles, the stronger these muscles will be. You’ll also want to be careful not to overdo it too.

    I will encourage you to practice something in between sessions to strengthen your learning.

  • Healing takes consistent time, work, effort, and repetition. Patience is key.

    There is no magical “fix” to long standing and deeply embedded issues.

    Try not to rush yourself because rarely does impatience and rushing facilitate positive growth and change.

    As Carl Roger states: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself, just as I am, then I can change.”

  • We’ll focus our energy on what you want to work on, make sure you feel understood, that you feel comfortable bringing up disagreements, and that my therapy approach is effective for you.

    I’ll ask for verbal feedback regularly so I can adjust treatment as needed based on your preferences, personality, values, concerns, and needs.

    For those who prefer written feedback, I’ll send feedback forms at regular intervals (3-6, 9-10, and 12 months).

  • Length of treatment depends on your goals and your ability to invest time and money.

    Some clients benefit from brief therapy (1-4 sessions) or short-term therapy (3-6 months) for a single issue.

    Other clients benefit from long-term therapy (6-12 months+) for more complex issues.

    We’ll end therapy when your goals have been met, your symptoms have decreased, you want space and time to integrate your learning, and/or at anytime you feel therapy isn’t helpful.

    You can also pause therapy to metabolize your learnings and see how you are without my guidance and support. I often take 1-2 months off yearly, so this will be weaved into our work.

    My goal is for you not to see me anymore eventually and reach out to your social support, utilize self-management skills, and take good care of yourself.

  • Some folks come back for check up session due to life changes such as moving, growth, successes, failures, beginning school, starting a new job, starting a new relationship, deaths, and/or births.

    This can be helpful to review skills learned, integrate insights, metabolize learnings, and anticipating ways to approach future obstacles and challenges.

  • At any time, if we don’t work well together or you need a different type of therapist or treatment, I’ll provide referrals to others who can help you and/or recommendations to other types of treatment/therapy modalities that might be a better fit.

    Other options could include attending a higher level of care where you attend therapy more than once a week, assessment with a psychiatrist/nurse practitioner for medication, meeting with an eating disorder specialist, meeting with a substance use specialist, etc.

    It’s unethical for me to work with clients I’m unable to help due to lack of specialized education, knowledge, and skill. This would be a waste of time, money, and effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes, but it depends.

    Research shows about 15 to 20 sessions are required for 50 percent of patients to recover as indicated by self-reported symptom measures.

    Therapy Is More Helpful When:

    • There is a good relationship between client and therapist (personality, temperament, style, approach, feeling understood and validated)

    • Adequate education, training, and skill needed to treat the concerns

    • Regular feedback/measurement toward progress

    • A treatment plan/road map provided

    • Understanding about what therapy is and is not (expectations, boundaries)

    • Hope the therapist can help

    • Hope therapy will be useful/effective

    • Treatment model/approach/style matches what client concerns need (e.g. you want a therapist who is active, direct, and talks with you vs. someone who nods at you in silence)

    • Respect for diversity and difference are addressed

    • The client:

      • Has goals and what they want to work on

      • Practices skills/learnings outside of sessions

      • Brings up positive and negative feedback to the therapist

      • Comes to session consistently on time

      • Is open to trying new things and ways of relating and thinking

    Read more here, here, and here.

    For some people, at best, therapy is ineffective.

    At worst, therapy is harmful and contributes more to stressors and an increase in negative symptoms.

    This is why it’s important to do your own research, learn about different therapy models, try therapy out for 1-3 sessions, and determine if it’s a good fit for your needs or if you require something else (e.g. coaching, support group, medication, etc.).

    A list of therapeutic modalities/approaches:

    Psychological Treatments

    • Consider if therapy is the right approach for what you’re seeking vs. other alternatives (coaching, support groups, courses, workshops, retreats, etc.)

    • Consider if you have the time, money, energy, and effort to invest in and outside of session at this moment in your life

    • Establish achievable goals and expectations

    • Consider maximum monthly therapy expenses or if you want to use insurance

    • Patience: It may take multiple sessions to feel progress

    • Solicit feedback: Be honest about what is helpful, isn’t helpful, and tell your therapist

    • Come into session with topics you want to talk about/explore

    • Identify what’s most important to you in a therapist (e.g. style, age, personality, cultural background, values, training, fees, insurance)

    • Not every therapist will be a good fit. There are many types of therapists with different personalities, approaches, cultural backgrounds, etc. Find someone with whom you feel comfortable talking openly.

      • For example, if you’re seekng a solution-focused type of therapy, you can consider CBT or Brief Solution Focused Therapy.

      • If you’re seeking trauma-focused therapy, you can consider PE, CPT, EMDR, IFS, etc.

      • If you want a more passive therapist who will let you talk without interruption, you can consider person-centered therapy, humanistic therapy, psychodynamic therapy, psychoanalytic therapy.

  • You don’t until we meet.

    Browse my website, read through my profile, look through what I specialize in, and watch my videos to get a sense of my personality.

    I offer an optional 5-minute meeting to answer any questions you may have before beginning therapy.

    During our first session, I’ll learn more about you, provide you education, a plan for therapy, and we’ll both mutually decide if we should continue working together or if you require another type of therapy or therapist.

    We might be a good fit if you value:

    Being challenged and interrupted at times

    • Rather than venting every session and have me nod in silence; I believe there is a limit to how much endless validation can help you grow

    Are active in therapy

    • Come in with things to talk about, practice skills/tools outside session, open to trying new things

    Direct communication and soliciting feedback

    • Therapy is most helpful when you communicate with me your disagreements, your requests/wants, and when you give me feedback on what is and isn’t helpful. I’ll do the same.

    Dialectic or balance

    • I try to balance things in therapy: balancing validation with challenge, balancing insight with learning skills, listening with interrupting, and acceptance with change

    Other methods outside of talk therapy

    • Such as mindfulness, experiential therapy, psychodrama, somatic therapy

    The healing power of relationships

    • We will use our therapeutic relationship as a template for learning new healthy experiences and opportunities for repair and growth

    Want to learn how to become your own therapist long term

    • My goal is for you to gain insight and understanding into why you do what you do, interrupt unhelpful cycles of sabotage, and learn skills/tools to manage future conflicts

    We might not be a good fit if you:

    Expect perfection

    • I’m not perfect, will make mistakes, and will communicate directly when this occurs toward resolution

    Expect me to do all the work

    • Examples: Solve your problems, tell you what to do, consistently have to ask you what you want to work on in session, am more curious about you than you are of yourself

    Cancel sessions often

    • Therapy works best with consistency

    Don’t take accountability

    • Confronting our shadows require honesty about our humanity and limitations

    Don’t liked being challenged

    • Of course, I will be gentle and compassionate, but in my experienee, endless validation is not going to be helpful long term

    Demand instant change within 3-4 sessions

    • While relief can come in a few sessions, long term change requires compassion, practice, patience, and repetition

    Want to get rid of all your feelings and thoughts

    • Pain is inevitable in life

    • My goal is for you to learn to accept and manage life stressors, pain, and grief with more compassion, nuance, and acceptance.

    • If we get rid of painful feelings and thoughts, we also then will have a difficult time accessing joy, love, and peace. What we resist persists.

    • Moreover, there are things in life that cannot be forgotten, forgiven, or rid of such as the loss of a loved one or traumatic experiences

    Aren’t interested in exploring your past, childhood, or upbringing

    • There are other therapists who focus only on the present moment with an emphasis on skill building and generating quick solutions that may be a better fit (CBT, DBT, ACT)

  • Because I do not accept insurance, your file/record will be confidential.

    You have the right to confidentiality except in certain cases.

    These exceptions include:

    • Imminent harm to self (suicide)

    • Imminent harm to others (homicide)

    • Knowledge of child abuse

    • Knowledge of elder abuse

    In these cases, confidentiality can be broken

  • Therapy has a beginning, middle, and end.

    Length of treatment depends on your goals and your ability to invest time and money.

    Some clients benefit from brief therapy (1-4 sessions) or short-term therapy (3-6 months) for a single issue.

    Other clients benefit from longer-term therapy (6-12 months+) for more complex issues.

    My goal is for clients to work me out of a job and stop seeing me.

    We’ll end therapy when your goals have been met, your symptoms have decreased, you want space and time to integrate your learning, and/or at anytime you feel therapy isn’t helpful.

    Some folks also like to pause and take a break, coming back when necessary.

  • The type of therapy I do requires care, reflection, and ongoing review. Like a musician or athlete, repetition and practice is essential for therapists to improve in areas they are growing in. This is called deliberate practice.

    Recording videos is an essential part of deliberate practice. I review videos to see what is effective and ineffective in session. Sometimes, we review sessions together.

    Of course, this is optional and you can decline. I follow strict confidentiality guidelines, and videos are regularly deleted.

  • You can review my referrals page for therapists who accept insurance and/or offer a reduced fee here.

    Click here for personal referrals.

Get To Know Me

Therapy is time consuming, hard work, and expensive. Learn tips to maximize sessions.

Start Therapy Today

It’s important to find the right fit so you feel comfortable opening up and do the healing work.

Read through my website and watch my videos to see if we might be a good fit.

Note: There are no guarantees counseling will solve all problems, or how quickly changes will occur. There are no miracle cures, but it improves the odds, particularly if you start early.