Sometimes adults and children are a little nervous about what will happen in the first session. This is completely normal! Here are some things you might be wondering about:

Parking

There is plenty of free parking, both in front of the building and in the garage, and there are entrances to the building from both places.

What Should I Bring with Me?

Please fill out legal and intake forms beforehand or arrive early and fill them out at my office. For divorced parents, please also remember to bring in your custody agreement for your kiddo's chart.

It will also be helpful if you bring in your insurance card for me to copy, and please already know information about your insurance, such as: your copay/co-insurance, your deductable, and whether you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Account (HRA). You can find insurance information by calling the number for customer services on the back of your card. Please also remember that anything other than a 30-min. complimentary consultation will be charged (check, cash, credit/debit, or HSA card) for your intake and subsequent sessions. You will either pay your co-pay, your co-insurance, the full contracted rate if you have a deductible, or your out-of-pocket session fee if you will be a private-pay client.

Waiting Room

In the waiting room, feel free to enjoy snacks and coffee, tea or water, and kids can play with toys and look at books. For teens and adults there is also a Brookestone shoulder massager! There may or may not be other people in the room; if you'd like extra space, there is a spacious lounge on the main floor.

Cancellation Policy

You are responsible for keeping track of your appointments on your phone or in your calendar; I am not always able to send reminders. Please cancel or reschedule your appointment within 24 hours, otherwise you will be charged a 50.00 late cancellation fee.

For Parents Seeking Play Therapy for Your Child:

Because of the sensitive nature of many of the questions asked in the intake, it is important that I first meet individually with you/you and your partner.  I look forward to meeting with your child the next session.

In the initial play therapy session, children are sometimes shy; you are welcomed to join your child in the playroom while your child adjusts to me and the room. Most of the time, kids are excited to get started exploring the toys and playing!

The information you give me about your child in the initial intake--and at parenting support sessions with you--will help guide me as I look at how your child plays, how they express their emotions (or don't), concerning behaviors, and signs of improvement.

For more information on what to expect as your child engages in therapy, please click this link.

Setting You Up for Success in Therapy

• You get out of therapy what you put into it; therapy might seem like a lot of work at times, but it is worth it!
• I can't fix your problems (I wish I could!), but I can facilitate integration and give you tools for healing--which you can then carry with you for the rest of your life.
• To get the most out of your therapy and to heal most effectively, it is important to come regularly--ideally once or even twice a week but we can discuss what is most feasible for you. 
• This is your time! Let me know if you'd like things to be different in session, or if you don't feel emotionally able to talk about hard things, or if you'd like to talk about something else. Your honesty is welcomed here:)
• Give yourself a little time after therapy to process what we've talked about, and to practice self-care. This is especially important after EMDR processing sessions.
• Therapy goes at its own pace--sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Be patient with your own progress, and congratulate yourself on giving yourself this incredible gift of healing!