Preparing for Your Consultation
Booking a call with a therapist you have never spoken to is its own kind of exposure. This page removes the unknowns, so the decision is about fit instead of uncertainty.
What the Consultation Is
A focused fit call, fifteen minutes, by phone or video. We cover three things: what is happening, whether this practice is appropriate for it, and what the next step should be. You ask whatever you want to know about the approach, and you get direct answers.
What It Is Not
It is not a therapy session, and nothing gets treated in fifteen minutes. It is not an assessment or a diagnosis. And it is not a commitment: deciding after the call, or deciding not to proceed at all, is a completely acceptable outcome.
What Clients Usually Ask
What treatment would actually involve for their situation. How progress gets judged, and what happens if something is not working. Practical matters: fees, superbills, scheduling, and how telehealth sessions work. Whether their specific pattern is something this practice treats. All fair game, and none of it requires preparation on your part.
How to Prepare
Nothing is required. If it helps you feel organized, three things are useful: a couple of sentences about what is happening now, a rough sense of what you have already tried, and any questions you want answered before deciding. Take the call somewhere you can speak privately.
What Happens After
One of three things. If it is a fit and there is availability, we schedule an intake. If it is a fit and the caseload is full, we discuss the waitlist honestly, including realistic timing. If this practice is not the right setting, you leave with specific direction instead of a dead end.
If This Is Not the Right Fit
Some situations need a different level of care, a different specialty, or a clinician in a different state. When that is the case, I say so directly and point you toward appropriate options. There is no charge for the consultation either way.
Confidentiality
The consultation is confidential, and the standard legal limits that apply to treatment, such as safety-related exceptions, apply to the call as well. The details are laid out in the Practice Policies.
Ready When You Are
You do not need to be certain this is OCD, anxiety, trauma, or anything else before reaching out. Clarifying that is what the call is for.