What to Expect

Not knowing what to expect in particular situations can cause anxiety. That’s normal and understandable. To answer some questions you may have and get you feeling more confident about counseling, here are the basics on how it all works:

Choose a Counselor

To find the counselor who meets your needs, you can use the Find a Counselor feature, call or email us for a recommendation, or do a combination of those. Any approach will lead you to specific counselors. From their profile page, you can see their photo and read their bio to learn a bit about them. Once you contact a counselor, they’ll want to have a phone conversation with you to understand your needs and expectations. This is also your opportunity to ask questions you may have about the counselor’s experience, clinical approach and personal style.

This is also a good time to ask about general appointment availability, insurance and how payments are handled.

First Visit

When you come to our office, please make yourself comfortable in the waiting room and complete the information form that’s available. The form is also available here and can be completed ahead of time. At your appointment time, your counselor will meet you in the waiting room and walk with you to his or her office.

expect-counselor Counseling sessions are usually around 50 minutes and your first session will be dedicated to you and your counselor getting to know each other. Feel free to ask any questions you may have about your counselor, the process and expectations.

Your counselor will ask about the issues you want to address, what your symptoms are, how long you’ve had them and what you’ve done, if anything, to treat your symptoms. He or she will also ask about your family, work and personal interests.

Counseling sessions are the most productive when there’s honesty, patience, trust and dedication. This applies to both you and your counselor. Our counselors are highly-trained, licensed and credentialed, and ready to work with you on any topic. The information shared between you and your counselor is strictly confidential and your counselor will do his or her best to provide an atmosphere and environment that feels safe, accepting and hopeful.

Ongoing Sessions

Counseling sessions are usually held weekly. Every counselor keeps his or her own schedule and you’ll make appointments directly with your counselor.

It may take a few weeks before you become fully comfortable with counseling. You and your counselor are working to form an honest and trusting relationship, and that takes time. If you still aren’t feeling comfortable after two or three visits, let your counselor know. Adjustments can be made in order for you to get the most out of your treatment.

The big question is: How long will it take? The answer though, is that it depends. It depends on what you’re working on, the time you’re willing to put into it and the level of improvement you want. Typically, people see a counselor for anywhere between three months to over a year. You’ll know you’re done with counseling when you’ve accomplished what you set out to do and you feel ready to meet life’s challenges on your own.