Frequently Asked Questions

We are an outpatient mental health facility that is not able to serve as a crisis line.  

If you are planning to harm yourself or someone else, call 9-1-1 or go directly to the emergency room. 

You can also reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 

 1-800-273-8255. 

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

The insurance plans each provider is able to accept differs.  Please view the provider's profile under "Our Team," to determine whether the provider you would like to see is able to accept your insurance.  

Honestly, they can be a little awkward at first-- especially if the therapist or client is less comfortable with technology in general. But this discomfort is usually short-lived.  

When the pandemic started and therapists had to adjust to the changing world, our clients were initially worried about whether they would be able to have a sincere, comfortable connection with a therapist over the internet.  

There are occasional hiccups (connectivity issues for example); however, what we have found is that it is entirely possible to establish a positive treatment relationship with a client that has never physically shared the same space.  We have also found that many of the clients who were initially uncertain about the concept of teletherapy were not interested in returning to face-to-face appointments when the opportunity presented itself again.  

Many clients determined that the convenience of speaking to their provider without having to travel to and from the office outweighed the discomfort caused by the physical distance.  

While the goal is to find a provider that feels like a great fit and have a fantastic therapeutic relationship, the codes of ethics for mental health providers prevent clinicians from befriending their clients-- and for good reason.  

Your therapist is (hopefully) a lovely person that you would enjoy hanging out with.  But a lovely person who knows a TON of personal information about you. And, by nature of the treatment relationship, you don't know much about them.  This imbalance of sharing personal information inherently makes a friendship or romantic relationship lopsided, and can put your privacy at risk. 

This restriction remains in place even after the treatment relationship has ended. 

Your provider genuinely likes you and may wish that they met you in a different setting because you could have made great friends.  But you met in the office.  So instead of getting to be your bestie, they get to be your therapist. They get to support you when you are in pain, they get to watch you learn to accept yourself, and they get to help with problem-solving or decision-making.  

And then they get to say goodbye and know that you have got this shit!  

Discharging a client is sad and hard.  But by limiting the relationship to the treatment room (or the virtual treatment room, as the case may be), your therapist also knows that if you want or need to come back for additional support, they haven't damaged the treatment relationship by getting in a fight with you over which restaurant to eat at during a night out.  

There are many treatment approaches, and many therapists.  Maybe the connection just isn't there. Maybe the treatment approach is not quite right.  Whatever the reason, if you feel that you are not making progress in therapy, it is important to trust your gut.  

Sometimes this means having a conversation with the provider about your concerns and seeing if there are changes that can be made to make therapy more helpful. Your provider should be checking in with you regarding your comfort level with therapy and whether you feel that you have made progress towards your goals, so these conversations aren't likely to come as a surprise to them.  Your therapist can try a new treatment method, provide more or fewer homework suggestions, recommend workbooks or other reading material to help move you towards your goals, or narrow or broaden their focus in sessions, depending on your needs/desires. 

If connection is the issue, find a new provider. We frequently tell clients, "We can change our approach, but we cannot change our personality."  

You can contact our office to request a transfer to a different clinician, or you can find a different provider in the community. We are happy to give you the names of other local providers if you believe you would benefit from a change in providers.

Please don't allow a bad experience with a therapist, or a lack of progress with a specific treatment approach to deter you from seeking support. Keep looking. There is someone who can help.  

The answer to this common question changes depending on many factors: 

What treatment approach is your provider using?  How complex is your presenting concern? Do other treatment targets come up after your start therapy?  Do you feel ready for discharge?  Was there suddenly a global pandemic and everything you thought you knew about how to cope with stress went out the window? 

Some clients are in therapy for a few months; some for a few years.  

Your therapist can give you a better idea of how long you will be in treatment after you have established your relationship and collaboratively developed a treatment plan.