What to Expect When You Go to Therapy

The experience is different for everybody.

You cannot do therapy wrong.

I AM NOT THERE TO JUDGE YOU. You are an expert on your own life and I respect your choices.

This is not my first rodeo. You are not going to scare or shock me.

It is not like it is commonly seen on television and in movies. I don’t have a couch. We will face each other. (Unless you want to look away.)

First you will connect with me either by phone or by email. We will chat on the phone to see if we would be a good fit for working together. If a person wants to work through their grief from losing a horse, we would schedule an appointment. If a person is looking for someone to re-shoe their horse, a different professional would be more appropriate.

One the first phone call, which will be around 15-20 minutes, I will gather some information such as: your age, a brief description of why you want to come to therapy, your therapy history, and other general background information.

You will come to my office for appointments. On the first appointment there will be more information gathering and some paperwork to fill out. We will go over privacy practices, HIPPA laws, and your rights as a client. We will spend time getting to know one another. You are welcome to ask me questions.

The first appointment is a 50 minutes.

If we decide if we will work together we will schedule our next appointment. If you don’t think that I am the therapist you want to continue with, that is ok. I am very good at what I do, and I am not the best match for everybody. I don’t take it personally if a client wants to work with someone else. I am much more interested in you feeling better than my own ego. I can try to connect you up with another therapist that may be a better match for you.

Some people have been holding back on their emotions for so long they cry with relief to finally be able to talk. This is normal. I do not try to “make” people cry. Some people never cry in therapy, and that is normal, too.

You and I will work together to create a plan and meet your goals. Most people start by coming once a week. It is common that as time goes by, we may reduce frequency of sessions to twice a month, and then to once a month. When you have reached your goals, you may chose to take a break from therapy. You may chose to work on new goals. It is not uncommon for people to take a break from therapy and come back for some sessions in the future.