I’ve never been to therapy. What can I expect?

Therapy is an impactful experience that centers on you. As such, you can expect sessions to focus on meeting your needs and working toward your goals. We bring clinical expertise based on training and experience, but you remain the expert on your own self.

As your therapist, we help you articulate and explore your behaviors, thoughts, feelings, and emotions in an open and curious way. You’re free to engage, resist, and rest in the process as much as you need at any given time.

You are always in control of what you share, how much you share, and when you share it. While it is our job to help you grow and stretch, this should never come at the expense of your feeling of safety.

How do I know a therapist can help me?

This is a good question! It’s natural to wonder whether the help we are considering will really be able to make a difference—especially if you’ve had less than ideal experiences before or are used to doing things on your own. In short, we don’t know for sure that therapy will help you specifically. There are many pathways to healing, and therapy may or may not be a useful part of your own process.

If you think therapy might be of benefit for you, then this is our approach: As part of an initial consultation, we listen carefully to who you are, what is currently painful for you, and what you need to shift in your life. We then provide our honest assessment of whether we have someone on our team that we think would be of help. If not, we will offer to connect you with colleagues who we think may be a better fit.

If we do choose to work together, we regularly check in to make sure you feel our therapy is time well spent, and you are getting you what you need.

Many of the clients we work with identify as outliers in some way or another. Before we started working together, they were used to receiving care that they didn’t feel fit them or their experiences. It is our goal to make sure everyone who contacts us leaves with something useful, even if they ultimately go on to work with someone else.

How long does it take?

Exactly how long we meet for is dependent on your goals and pace of progress toward them. We regularly check in to make sure that our sessions are on target with your needs and that you’re satisfied with how you are holding steady, moving or shifting in yourself as a result of our work.

For some clients, this means we have worked with them for a handful of sessions as they gain clarity or closure on a decision or life event. For many other clients, they view regular psychotherapy as an integral part of their life, finding that the more work we do, the more they want to work on. This can be months or years.

So how long will your therapy last? Precisely as long as you need it to.

I really, really like to know what to expect. Can you give me more details?

Sure! Here’s a walkthrough of what you can expect, step by step.

Prior to a first appointment, you’ll receive a welcome email confirming your appointment and a separate email with a link to our patient portal to complete your new patient paperwork electronically. If anything is confusing or uncomfortable to complete, reach out and we’ll walk you through it. Your paperwork needs to be submitted 48 hours prior to your appointment.

If you have a telehealth appointment, your paperwork will contain a link to your clinician’s virtual “waiting room.” All you have to do is type in your name once you’ve clicked the appointment link. You can log in early if you would like and your clinician will start your session on time.

For in-person sessions: When you arrive at our office building, you can park anywhere along the street for free. Enter the building on 1st Ave NE through either of two doors labeled Entrance. After entering the building, follow the directory signs to our office in suite 216.

The main office door will open into a small, private waiting room. You can make yourself a cup of tea and find a comfortable place to sit.  

When it is time for your session, a therapist will come into the waiting room and invite you into our office. We’ll collect payment at this time or charge your card on file.

During your session, we will discuss what brings you to therapy now and what you are hoping to shift in your life or gain by starting therapy. We will also begin gathering a bigger picture of who you are and what you’ve experienced. This helps us get to know you and learn best how to support you moving forward.

You’ll get a chance to learn about your therapist and how they work too. You are welcome to ask your therapist any question that might be helpful for you in determining if it’s a good fit.

What if I am nervous?

Feeling nervous is totally normal and totally fine. You can read more about choosing a therapist here and strategies for deciphering anxiety when starting out. You can also let your therapist know that you feel anxious and work together to make your first therapy experience positive. Plus they can show you a few tricks to help you be more at ease.

What languages are services available in?

All of our clinicians offer services in English and some of our clinicians over services in additional languages.

One of our interns offering “pay what you can” therapy offers therapy in Spanish and/or in English. You can find Gabs’ profile here (coming soon!). Our paperwork is available in Spanish as well.

One of our associate therapists offers therapy in English, and also speaks conversational hindi and Bengali, allowing for sessions that are held in English or in Bengali and/or hindi interspersed with some English. You can find Isha’s profile here (coming soon!).

How can I learn more about working with a therapist?

All you have to do is reach out. We understand that some mediums for contact are easier than others; we encourage you to connect with us in the way that feels most comfortable for you. Please email, text or complete the form below to schedule a 30-minute consultation at no cost.