Q: Do you offer supportive/talk therapy?
A: Yes
Q: What is the difference between supportive therapy and exposure therapy?
A: Supportive therapy is more about listening to client’s needs, wants, goals, hopes, and values and encouraging their self-expression. In contrast, exposure therapy is more behavioral and the therapist guides the client in practicing a hierarchy of challenging behaviors in order to ultimately face and overcome their fears.
Q: Do you offer couples counseling?
A: This is not our area of specific expertise; however, we do occasionally see spouses, partners, and/or parents of our adult clients to assist with supporting client’s progress and articulating their needs and how their support person can best help them achieve their goals.
Q: What if my partner or spouse feels differently about counseling than I do?
A: We are happy to speak with anyone who is resistant about participating or unsure about the process. Demystifying what happens in therapy tends to help increase willingness to participate, as does having concrete goals and explicit understanding of these between client and therapy provider.
Q: What if I (or my child) don’t want to do exposures (e.g., for anxiety or OCD)?
A: We can take it slow and identify ways to make the exposure practice more natural and less contrived, as this often helps people feel more open and see the benefit of it. We can also spend more time with rapport building and psychoeducation before jumping into exposures if the client is not yet ready for that step.
Q: How long does therapy take?
A: The duration of therapy depends on the severity of the presenting problem as well as the client’s expectations and needs. CBT can be effective as a short-term intervention (i.e., 8 to 12 sessions) and sometimes clients end up being in therapy for 5 to 10+ years. We are flexible to accommodate a variety of patient needs. Quality of client care is very important to us. We are happy to make adjustments to the process to meet individual’s needs, and appreciate feedback from clients to improve their unique experience in therapy. Therapy tends to work best if it is consistent, especially in the beginning (e.g., weekly sessions).
Q: What can I do between sessions to support my wellness and manage mood, behavior, and anxiety?
A: We are happy to provide weekly or periodic homework activities, tailored to your needs to maximize the benefit of therapy between scheduled meetings. The following are examples of CBT homework: values clarification exercises, mood tracking, thought records, journaling, behavior charts, sleep or activity logs, and mindfulness practice.