What Happens in Therapy: From First Consult to Working Together
What Happens In Therapy?
Every therapist works differently. If we work together, this is what you may expect.
Free Initial Consultation
I encourage you to consider a free 30-minute initial consultation to see if I feel like a good fit for you. Read more about what happens in a consultation here.
Setting up Your First Appointment and Completing Forms
After our initial half-hour consultation, if you decide you would like to work together we will find a time that works well in your schedule. I have office hours Monday through Saturday, including three evenings per week. I am also available for intensive sessions for up to five hours when these are planned in advance. I will send you an email with links to new client information and forms for our first appointment. The client information outlines all the details around your rights as a client, your privacy, and our policies. Generally speaking, all of our conversations will be confidential and you can be assured that your information will be protected. I will ask that you fill out both a therapy agreement that acknowledges you understand all of the information, and an intake form that will provide me with basic information about you, including things like contact information, background information, and concerns you would like to address together in our work. The forms help us to be efficient and to focus as we begin working together.
First Appointment
At our first appointment I will begin by highlighting some important pieces of information in the therapy agreement and we can discuss any questions you have. I will look very briefly through your intake form and set it aside to read in detail after our appointment ends. I want to spend as much time as possible in our first appointment getting to conversation that feels productive to you.
I most often ask that we begin with some headlines around what brings you in and what you hope for. You can share as much or little information as you wish. As we talk I may take a few brief notes in this first appointment to capture things we may wish to return to. I will be paying attention to what you’re saying in order to begin to make a plan for our work together. As I work collaboratively with clients, I will highlight what I think may be important and where I believe it would be most fruitful to begin. I will bring forward information, tools, resources, and ways we might work together, and I will welcome your feedback about whether or not each of these feels like a fit for you. I will be direct about what I think would be most useful.
I will support you in your goals. I am non-judgmental and don’t have any preconceived ideas about what client goals should be. My training and experience will serve as a guide to help you identify your challenges and meet your goals.
Working Together
Whether you’re seeking insight, healing, change, or to discern a decision or to move through a difficult transition or period, in everything we do together I will be framing your goals and wishes and pacing so that our work feels just right and neither overwhelming nor unproductive.
Our work will be structured around your goals. I will have recommendations based on the information you provide about how frequently we meet, whether we meet individually or as a couple or family, and what we do during appointments. The length of time we meet will be based on your motivation and the level of your challenges. So, for example, if you have just discovered an affair, it may be helpful to meet for a longer period than a couple wishing to improve communication.
Most people feel rather anxious or guarded around beginning therapy. Many ask how meeting with a total stranger could possibly help. Through the process of our work together we will develop a relationship in which you feel safe and comfortable discussing anything and everything that will help you move towards your goals. And I hope you will find that our work together is invaluable in creating shifts and healing in your life. This work is powerful. I witness transformation on a daily basis through meeting with individuals, couples, and families. Sometimes we might bring attention to aspects of your relationship or life with guidance and concrete tools and strategies. Other times I work directly with the central nervous system and brain to facilitate healing and repair using specific therapy modalities. Whatever our work entails, you will have choice and be empowered at every step.
Contact Me
If you live in the Twin Cities and would like to work together, I welcome your questions and encourage you to schedule a free consultation. You may contact me at laura@rekindlethespark.com or call me directly at 952.806.0014. Read more about me here.