Starting Therapy ...
We are not sure what you have heard or know about therapy already, but we want to share with you what we believe is the most important aspect of therapy ...
the right client/therapist connection
The therapeutic relationship is the key to effective therapy. You need to feel safe sharing and to feel confident that we will keep your information private. Just as important, we need to be trained to help you with the challenges you have. This is why we offer a free, 15 minute telehealth consultation for all new clients. This session is an opportunity for each of us to learn a little about each other and decide if we are ready to move forward as a team to tackle whatever issues brought you in to see us.
Therapy is a vulnerable and personal experience, so each person's treatment plan is individualized to meet your needs. The first session we will discuss relevant history, current concerns, goals for treatment, and complete some paperwork. After that, sessions typically occur on a weekly basis (but this can be changed if necessary) and you and your therapist will work collaboratively on your treatment goals primarily through talking about your experiences but also using psychoeducation. Your therapist will use techniques and interventions from evidence-based theories to help you meet your goals.
Let's Work Together
At Affirming Joy Mental Health Services, every client is an individual. We treat everyone as a human being, deserving of respect and compassion. We are affirming of all client identities. We encourage clients to advise us of any preferred address, be that alternative name or pronouns.
Call the Office
Whatever led you to consider therapy at this time in your life, we are grateful to be one of the possibilities you have identified for receiving the support you need. We recognize that reaching out to begin therapy often occurs during times of crisis and major life changes. We want to be here to support you through those issues without adding any extra stress. We will take some information and schedule a time for a free 15 minute telehealth consultation, or get you set up for an intake appointment if you prefer. During this call, we can advise you whether or not we are in-network for your insurance and/or about our private pay fees. Each of our therapists are in-network with different insurance plans, so this may vary depending on which provider you plan to see.
Schedule an Appointment
We offer a wide range of times and days, including Afternoon, Evening, and Weekend appointments to fit your schedule. If you are unable to make your appointment time, we request you let us know as soon as possible so that someone else may benefit from that time slot. Prior to coming in for your first session, we will have you complete some intake paperwork to decrease the amount of time you will have to spend on paperwork that first visit. You can access these by setting up an account in our client portal, or we can email or mail these to you at your request.
First Session
While most sessions will range from 45 to 60 minutes, our first session will be run 60 to 90 minutes long. During this session, we will review your history, previous therapy experiences, concerns that brought you to us, and goals for our time together. After this, we will begin collaboration on an appropriate treatment plan.
Treatment Plan and Length of Treatment
Therapy is a fluid process. We do not provide canned treatment plans or outcome time expectations. We will develop your treatment plan to align with your specific needs. Many people can expect to meet weekly for therapy for at least a few months. While others may meet more or less frequently, for shorter or longer time frames. This is completely defined by your needs and individual therapeutic progress. To help us accomplish this in an effective and time efficient way, we will consistently review our established treatment plan, review our set goals, and identify those that are achieved, modify those that evolve, and discard those we find no longer lead us to your end goals for success.