Yes. I am a licensed clinical social worker. This means that I obtained my master’s degree in social work, then practiced clinical work for a minimum of 2 years, and took an exam to certify myself as a “clinical” social worker.

I am a social worker as I feel that the schooling a social worker goes through is perfect for the kind of therapist I wanted to be. Schooling for a social worker gives a broad spectrum overlook of multiple clinical theories so that a therapist can see feels right to her/him and then take further training in those areas. This differs from other titles such as: psychologist, psychiatrist, marriage and family therapist, ect. A psychiatrist mainly prescribes medication, and generally will see their clients 1 session per month. A psychologist generally has more training in the areas of research and testing. Lastly, a marriage and family therapist’s training is shorter than a social worker’s and their focus is generally on family concerns.

My philosophy is guided by your needs. I have undergone training in many different therapy approaches, and I utilize pieces of each one to fit each client’s needs. In general, I take a more guiding approach over a directive one, as therapy is not lifelong and therefore it is important for clients to develop the skills of making their own decisions.

During the 1st session, the topic of goals will be discussed and a general goal will be created by you. Throughout sessions this goal will be reviewed and changed as needed.

This is the most common question that therapists get asked, and also one of the hardest to answer. Sessions are generally scheduled on a weekly basis. As therapy progresses there are times that sessions are bi-weekly as the client is doing well enough to not meet every week. The amount of sessions is difficult to answer. There are times that the presenting problem is worked through within a couple of months; however this is not typical. On the flip side there are people that spend multiple years in therapy. Knowing what led a person to seek out therapy is sometimes helpful at predicting a timeline.

Sessions are generally a “clinical hour”, which is 45 minutes long. Family sessions can be a full hour and sessions for younger children may only be 30 minutes if that is all the child can handle. Sessions will usually be geared around the topic of the presenting problem and the goal. However, many other topics will come up throughout sessions as experiences, behaviors, thoughts, emotions etc from a person’s entire lifetime may be affecting the presenting problem.

While attending sessions as scheduled is extremely important, time spent out of sessions are important as well. In order for therapy to be successful, there definitely needs to be work done outside of sessions, such as practicing skills discussed in sessions, and following through on steps that were discussed in therapy. So while there will be no “official” homework for most clients, working on things outside of therapy is strongly encouraged.

No you can not. Wait, what?!? While almost everything that is shared in a session will not leave the room of therapy, sometimes there is information shared needs to be shared for safety. In the case where a client states that they plan on harming themselves or others, or they report harm that was already done to a minor by an adult, those will need to be reported to the appropriate authority. Other than that, all information is kept confidential.

The first session is different than any other session, as there is a lot of basic information that is shared. This information can be filled out through an intake form before hand, but is then reviewed in the first session. Questions include: basic demographics, previous experiences in therapy, medication details (if any), goals for sessions, reason for seeking therapy now, etc. Additionally, we will review important topics such as confidentiality and honesty/trust. The constant between the first session and all other sessions, is that you should feel that what you are sharing is important and that therapy is safe and open place to explore any and all topics.

This answer is hard to give over in a writing and reading fashion as it is something that is better conveyed through a face to face conversation. That being said, in the 45 minutes that I am with you, you are the most important person in the present moment and will be treated as such. This is something that a client should feel from his/her therapist; that they are the most important person in the world during their time together.

Awkward, right? From the perspective of the therapist, I will not make any indication that I know who you are. I take my cue from the client and if they approach me, then I will engage in a brief conversation, but I will not approach the client first. From the perspective of the therapist, I will not make any indication that I know who you are. I take my cue from the client and if they approach me, then I will engage in a brief conversation, but I will not approach the client first.