The First Appointment

Trust takes time to build. Finding the right therapist is a process, and we will naturally evaluate our "fit" over our first few sessions.

In the initial Intake Appointment, my primary goal is to help you feel at ease and acknowledge any initial anxiety. I typically begin by asking if there is anything you would like to leave the session with that you did not feel you walked in with. Though learning and healing is a process, the question gives me a sense of where you're starting from. From there, we will gently explore your current concerns, the impact they have on your day-to-day life, and what you wish was different in the situations you're describing.

We will always go at your own pace, and you only ever have to share what you feel comfortable sharing.

Illustrated spiral staircase titled The Therapy Process: Spiral of Healing, showing therapy as a cycle of grounding, building trust, exploration, integration, and growth, with landings for rest and setbacks. — Therapy is a spiral of healing: revisiting familiar patterns from a higher vantage point, with new tools and a stronger foundation.

Over our first few sessions, I aim to gather a fuller picture of your life—including your mood, physical and mental health, relationships, and history. We do this because challenges never happen in a vacuum; understanding your whole world helps us focus on what will actually help. However, what you choose to bring, or what you feel you need from a session will take priority, as well as any concerns that may interfere with therapy being helpful.

At the end of the first session, I’ll be able to give an initial impression of how I think I could help, based on what was shared. Goal setting, and breaking down those goals into mini-goals or action steps, evolves over time, collaboratively, and based on your motivations, once we have a clear understanding of the problems and the goals.

Many people come to therapy expecting a linear climb—like a ladder where you step from rung 1 to rung 2, always moving upward. But human growth doesn't work that way. When stress hits or old patterns return, the ladder model makes you feel like you’ve fallen or failed. My practice views therapy as a spiral staircase.

You will loop around and may find yourself looking at the same core wounds, triggers, or habits you've faced before. The difference? You are looking at them from a higher floor with new tools, deeper self-awareness, and a stronger foundation.