The decision to reach out for help is often difficult and I welcome the opportunity to work with you regarding problems or relationship issues that significantly affect your life.
My overall approach is for us to actively work together to gain insight into the various contributions to your problem and translate this understanding into more beneficial ways of thinking, feeling and interacting in your world.
Initial Meeting
After listening and asking a variety of questions, I will give you an initial assessment that attempts to capture your problem, offer some useful perspective on the factors that may be contributing to the problem, and suggest important steps that will likely be necessary in resolving these problems and helping you achieve your goals. I encourage you to ask me any questions that you have about the therapy process or my background (see Choosing a Therapist or About Dr. Judith Anderson link).
By the end of our initial meeting, I will share my impressions of how I may provide help or I’ll refer you to other providers or resources in the area that may better meet your needs. If we decide to work together, a clear outline of the goals you would like to accomplish will be defined. With these mutually agreed goals in mind, a treatment plan will be developed for you using the latest psychological information available.
What to Expect
- You should feel comfortable, understood and receive clear feedback about how I evaluate your situation.
- I will give you an assessment with direct feedback about your problem and how I see you or your relationship as stuck at this point.
- We will discuss your goals and make sure that we are both clear about them.
- We will review various treatment options available and discuss pros/cons of each.
- I will clarify all fees and payment options. Currently, I am not an in-network provider for any insurance programs so you would have to submit our superbill yourself for reimbursement at a non-networker provider rate.
Couples Therapy
If you are coming for Couples Therapy, your first appointment will be for both partners and will last for approximately one hour and 15 minutes. After the first joint session, a comprehensive Couples Questionnaire is given to each of you to complete, prior to the next session, which is an individual meeting with each partner. Those three meetings will allow me to give you a comprehensive initial evaluation of your relationship and a treatment plan for marital therapy.
Family Therapy
If you are coming for Family Therapy, your first appointment will most likely include all family members living in the household and will last from about one hour and 15 minutes to one hour and a half. There are some situations where it might be more useful to meet first with the parents and child separately, including siblings at a later date. I will be happy to discuss these options with you over the phone prior to the first meeting.
Client Forms
There are some policies and procedures that I may not fully review with you initially because I am most interested in understanding you and your concerns. Please download the Client Forms. Read them over carefully and bring completed forms to your first appointment.