Prior to your first visit, I will send my practice documents to you via an e-mailed link to a secure, confidential portal (compliant with the Health Insurance and Accountability Act, HIPAA), complete with your own four-digit PIN. This allows you to fill out all the needed documents before we meet in person from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace. It also allows me to begin to understand more of how I can help.
My private practice is conveniently located just south of Mayfair Mall on the second floor of the Fairview Building. There is ample, free parking in a large parking lot connected to the building. After taking a left out of the elevator, you will find a quiet waiting room where you can sit and relax before your session. Before making any treatment recommendations, I meet with patients for three initial consultation sessions. It is not that I will understand everything in those three sessions, but it is a good way for me to learn more about what is important to you and for you to get to know me.
The process of psychotherapy is first and foremost a collaborative endeavor. In the third session together, I try to accurately reflect what I have heard, share what I think about what you have described, and tell you what I think would be a helpful treatment. This offers the opportunity for you to ask questions and for you to be an active part of the treatment process.
Many times, what we are currently thinking and feeling has its roots not only in what is happening right now but also in our own life histories that affect how we view and experience things in the present. Our therapeutic relationship affords an opportunity to better understand these connections and to use our relationship to help you understand yourself and what you are feeling. I consider the therapeutic relationship to be the most important aspect of a successful psychotherapy process. Over time, you will be able to solve your problems differently and feel better able to navigate your life while anxiety, sadness, and other unpleasant internal states recede.
