Taking the first step might feel overwhelming.
Getting Started
You could question whether therapy is right for you or feel anxious about if you are doing it “right.” And so many people stop or don’t reach out because they get intimidated by these questions. We want to make this as easy as possible for you so we created this step-by-step guide of what to expect in most therapy situations.
1
Initial Contact
On our site, you select the therapist that you are interested in meeting with and can either fill out a brief inquiry that is sent to their email or leave a message on their voicemail. They will communicate with you via email or phone and may ask questions back and forth. The goal of this is for you both to figure out if they are able to meet what you are looking for. Some of that depends on what your schedule looks like, what type of therapy you are looking for and what you are wanting to work on. There will also be discussions about insurance and payment to make sure that you know what to expect financially as much as possible. If you believe it to be a good match for your needs, you’d work with them to set up your first counseling session.
Pre-session forms and information
2
Before your first appointment, therapists will send you out some forms to fill out. These forms remain completely secure and confidential. These forms might be a part of a portal or come directly from their email. Some will ask for information about what you are seeking help for. Other important forms talk about their policies for payment, communication and allow you to agree to treatment, or will provide you information about privacy practices. There may be more than one set of forms to complete as oftentimes verifying insurance benefits is done by a billing company to ensure that you are provided with the best, most accurate information about fees. For most therapists, these forms are needed to be completed before they can meet with you and your initial appointment may need to be postponed if they are not done a certain time prior to the appointment.
During the first session, it is a time to get to know each other. Oftentimes a therapist will review some of the important parts of the practice policies to make sure that you have a complete understanding of what to expect. They will also ask you questions to help them get a sense of who you are and what it is that you are wanting to work on. Sessions typically last about 50 minutes, including a few minutes at the end to wrap up and check on follow up appointments.
Please note, if you are meeting in person with one of our counselors, there are 2 sets of stairs that lead up to the offices. If accessibility is an issue, therapists can plan to meet online.
Online therapy (called telehealth) is a way to access therapy even if you can’t make it into the office. Many of our therapists offer only telehealth, many offer a mixture of in-person and telehealth. All that is needed is a computer or mobile device, a private space, and an internet connection. The therapist will provide you with a link and the sessions will comply with HIPAA.
3
First Session
Sessions are often scheduled weekly or bi-weekly initially and because therapy should be very much tailored to your needs, your therapist and you will identify goals and talk about the course of therapy during the first few sessions.
If you have more questions about types of therapy and terminology you hear or read about with mental health, check out our terminology page.
4
Continuing Therapy
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Often referred to as CBT, this is a therapy that focuses on paying attention to how your thoughts can negatively influence your emotions and behaviors and focusing on ways to confront, challenge and ultimately change those. It is very helpful for anxiety and depression amongst other issues.
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(also Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy that addresses trauma by asking the client to briefly focus on trauma while using bilateral stimulation to help the brain to process and decrease the vividness and and intensity of emotion connected to the trauma.
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A type of therapy that uses play as the modality for helping children and adolescents to process emotional struggles. This can include pretend play, games, stories and sand tray as well many other play modalities.
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A collaborative model of therapy focused on helping clients to identify their goals and using questions and exploratory work to finding solutions in the present and pragmatic resolution to the identified problem.
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Therapy one-on-one between a client and their therapist focused on goals decided by them together.
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Therapy with a couple (married or not) and a therapist. The goals of the therapy have to do with the goals of the couple and can include marriage preparation and problems between the couple that affect the relationship.
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A form of talk therapy that focuses on improving the relationships amongst family members. It can often be used in conjunction with individual therapy, particularly with children or adolescents in therapy.
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A form of therapy in which a group of unrelated clients get together regularly with a therapist to address and resolve problems with a specific focus.
Terminology FAQs
Insurance FAQs
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Each of our providers is a unique business. To find out their rates and what insurances they accept, check out their pages on our Find a Provider page.
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A flat fee you pay for a medical service while your insurance pays the remainder. This is determined by your insurance company. You may need to meet a deductible first.
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Like a copay but instead of a flat fee, you pay a percentage and your insurance pays the other portion. This is determined by your insurance company.
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An amount of money (set by your insurance company) that you must pay before your insurance company will pay anything.
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In-network means that your provider has a contract signed with your insurance company at an agreed upon rate.
Out of network means your provider does not have a contract to work with your insurance company at their discounted rate and you will be responsible for the full fee. Some insurance plans will cover a portion of out-of-network fees.
