What to Expect at Your Therapy Appointment
We understand that while considering utilizing our services, you may have come up with some questions. We’ve gathered the most common ones and given our answers below so that you will know what to expect before you come in for your first appointment. If you don’t see an answer to one of your questions, feel free to reach out to us by phone.
Q: Who greets patients?
A: During standard office hours, patients are greeted by our office manager. After standard business hours, your therapist will greet you directly.
Q: Will I have to fill out a form?
A: We have several intake forms that are standard for a psychotherapy practice. You do not have to fill them out in advance, but if you would like to, you may review and download the forms.
Q: What should I bring with me to the appointment?
A: If you are using insurance, please bring a copy of your insurance card with you. Other than that, just bring yourself!
Q: How early should I be for my appointment?
A: If it is your first appointment, it is best to be at the clinic 10 minutes in advance to make sure you have time to complete your paperwork before your session time starts.
Q: How do I book an appointment?
A: If you know which therapist you would like to work with, you can call our main line and schedule directly with our office manager. If you have any clinical questions, please contact Kimberly Keiser.
Q: What happens after my first appointment? Do I need to “check out” before I go?
A: After your first appointment there is no need to check out. If you have additional questions for our office manager before you leave, please feel free to stop by and speak with them.
Q: How often will I have appointments?
A: Once your therapy begins, you and your provider will determine the optimal number of sessions and/or meeting times based on your goals and clinical recommendations. Most people attend therapy once per week. Consistency with scheduling provides the foundation for good progress in therapy.
Q: Are appointment hours flexible?
A: Our providers work Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm, but once you meet you’re your provider, you can often work out a time that works for you if you have unique scheduling needs.
Q: Have you seen a lot of clients with similar concerns?
A: We are a sexual health specialty practice, so we have seen many clients who have concerns with their sexual functioning or sexuality. In addition, we work regularly with trauma and with couples, so each provider at the practice has advanced training and qualifications to work with these types of issues. If you are coming for other mental health concerns, our providers all have training in commonly seen issues, for example, anxiety and depression.
We provide counseling and psychotherapy but have advanced training in psychotherapy-based interventions and therapeutic modalities.
Q: How is your therapy different from other therapists?
A: Our specialty practice is unique in several ways. Our providers go through extensive and ongoing training in multiple areas, in addition to having basic mental health counseling skills. Currently, all therapists are undergoing:
a year-long intensive training program in Internal Family Systems (IFS)
a 40-hour Level I and II Gottman couples counseling training program
an 8-month Out of Control Sexual Behavior (OCSB) training intensive
bi-weekly sex therapy training presented by Kimberly Keiser
We have a rich and interactive intellectual environment for our providers to stay abreast of the newest methods in psychotherapy practice while continuing to hone their own unique talents.
We don’t merely sit and listen to our patients. Many people attending counseling are not aware of the distinction between counseling and psychotherapy.
Counseling in its most basic form involves a patient-centered approach of using the therapeutic setting and relationship to provide support and guidance on a particular problem.
Psychotherapy involves a psychodynamic approach in which the client gains in-depth insight into themselves and their psycho-developmental history that are contributing to the symptoms that they have.
Counseling is supportive; psychotherapy can be curative, often transforming long-standing and difficult to change negative behaviors and parts of the personality. Clients lives and experiences of themselves and others are often permanently shifted for the better.
Sessions are interactive, solution-focused and centered on your goals. We learn about what you want to get out of therapy and develop a treatment plan targeted to achieve your goals.
Interventions are given during session for clients to:
Practice psychotherapeutic or communication skills
Have experiential exercises targeted at managing their symptoms, shifting perspectives, gaining self-awareness or developing emotional regulation
In addition, exercises are frequently given to be done outside of session to accelerate the process.
Q: How do you structure sessions if we want to do couples and individual therapy or aren’t sure where to start?
A: Whether you start with individual or couples counseling depends on your goal:
If your goal is to work on your relationship, we would suggest coming initially as a couple. Our therapists will help you define the best working structure depending on what is contributing to the issues you are experiencing.
If your goal is to work on your individual symptoms, we would recommend you come alone. If you’re not sure, please speak directly with one of our therapists and we can guide you through the initial stages to determine the best place to start for you.
Q: What do I do in “sex therapy”?
A: We have found that many people are nervous about seeing a sex therapist. All our providers are first and foremost licensed mental healthcare professionals, are able to treat a variety of mental health concerns and follow standard ethical guidelines involving professional conduct in a psychotherapeutic setting. In addition, we have advanced training in sexual healthcare and sex therapy practice.
Sex therapy involves understanding the nature of your symptoms through a verbal or written assessment, developing a treatment plan, and using a variety of interventions in session or given as homework. Your therapist will never do physical or sexual exercises with you in session, but you will be given the opportunity to enhance sexual functioning by structured exercises to be done alone or with your partner at home and then talk with your therapist about during therapy.
