There are no set questions that people ask. My goal is to make you feel comfortable asking whatever it is that concerns you or confuses you about the process. Some potential clients have no questions at the start beyond discussing fees and scheduling. Other people want to know more about my enhanced CBT approach. Very often, people ask if I have experience in helping people improve the primary issue that they are struggling with.

There is nothing you need to bring or prepare, unless the act of preparing what you want to say helps you to feel organized or in control, but this is not necessary. If you have questions about my practice or your therapy, I am happy to answer them in session if they were not addressed prior to the session.

This really depends on your needs and the severity of the issues you plan on improving. I am not one to keep clients in therapy longer than necessary. I like to keep it as an open discussion so that we can track progress and determine what’s best for you.

Sessions are 45-50 minutes. This is considered standard across clinicians.

In some situations, it does make sense to have your significant other attend a session or a series of sessions. It really depends on the dynamics of the couple. For some people, it works better to make a referral for couples therapy, but for others, it can be quite effective to have the input of the significant other. Some people begin therapy seeking individual counselling and then realize that the time would be most productive in the format of couples therapy.

To begin, we will meet once a week. I find it’s important to gain some momentum in the beginning by meeting weekly or progress can stall out. Once some or all of your goals are met, meeting less often will make sense.

This is quite common at the start of therapy. If you haven’t received much support from friends, colleagues, or family with regard to what you are struggling with, you might be more likely to struggle at the start of therapy with shame, guilt, or embarrassment (e.g., you are experiencing panic attacks and feel too embarrassed to get help from your support network.) Please know that the therapeutic environment I create is one of non-judgment, safety, and acceptance.

Whatever you are comfortable with…by phone or by email and so on.

That really depends on the acuteness of your emotional pain, the nature of the identified problems to work on and the timeline for how fast you want to reach your goals.

I require 24 hours notice of cancellation or you will need to pay for the appointment. An occasional exception may be made in the case of an emergency. It’s important that we meet consistently in order to make progress.

I pull from a variety of theories and techniques. I find Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Positive Psychology, Motivational Interviewing, Client-Centered Therapy, and Mindfulness techniques are often helpful for my clients.

No, I am not a medical doctor. Many of my patients find medication is helpful, but many of them also progress well in therapy without medication. If you want to be evaluated for psychiatric medication, either contact your primary care physician or a psychiatrist. If you are already taking medication, I can coordinate care with your doctor.

The only way to know for sure is to come in for a session. Most people have a good sense of whether I am the right professional to help them within the first two sessions. However, I have tried to provide you with information on this website, my blog and my social media. Reading my entries over several days will give you a sense of who I am and how I work.