I’m reaching out to set up an appointment, now what?

What a brave first step! It can be intimidating to reach out to someone you don’t know about such personal matters. Your mental health and well-being is very important. Now, the intake clinician from DPK will talk with you about how they can help. Be prepared to share your insurance or payment information, your general availability, and a broad explanation of what your are looking for in the therapeutic process.

What are the first few sessions going to be like?

In the first session, there will be some time spent reviewing some administrative information. We will ask some basic questions to begin to form a bigger picture of the concerns being presented and to take a personal history. You should feel free to ask your therapist any questions you have at this time. This is a good time to feel out the relationship and make sure it feels like a good fit for you. Your therapist will work with you to form some treatment goals and provide a general outline of what treatment could look like. You will likely also discuss frequency and length of visits.

How do I know if I’m making progress?

Your treatment goals, developed in your first few sessions, will be based on the issues you specifically want to address. Together, we will decide how to gauge progress over time. For some clients this looks like periodic check-ins and for others it may look like regularly completing a personalized survey. There are a variety of ways to make progress. A goal of ours is to make sure our clients always have an understanding of what their minds and bodies are going through.

This is my first time in therapy, it feels weird to talk to a stranger.

Yes it does! Many people experience this. However, the therapeutic relationship should be one that you always feel comfortable in. It should be one that you feel is nonjudgmental and built around your needs. That being said, it can take a few sessions to have a sense of trust in your therapist. That is ok. It is important that you feel this is a safe space and that the fit between you and your therapist is a good one. If something still doesn’t feel right always feel free to voice your concerns.

Why do people come to therapy?

People come to therapy to deal with past issues that continue to affect present relationships, their work, or fullness of life. Sometimes, something painful has just happened and someone needs help managing it. Commonly, transitions in life- new jobs, marriage, divorce or break-up, having a child, becoming an empty-nester, or death of a loved one - can be a triggering moment that leads people to explore therapy.

I’ve been in therapy before, will this be the same?

It will be the same in that you are choosing to enter into the therapeutic partnership in order to focus on some aspect of your life that you feel you would like to improve upon. Our goal is that each client feels heard, respected, and that they feel there are focused efforts to resolve the issues being discussed. We can explore your previous experiences in therapy and figure out what worked and what didn’t, and then form a treatment plan that makes sense for you.

What if I have to cancel my appointment or I forget about it and miss it?

We ask that you try to provide your therapist with at least 24 hours notice for any cancellations or to reschedule. If an appointment is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice you will be charged a cancellation fee. The cancellation fee will be charged to you and cannot be paid by insurance. Any reasonable communication can usually prevent these charges. We do understand that emergencies can come up. Please communicate with your therapist as soon as you can. Missed appointments without any communication will also be charged this fee.