Starting Therapy
How Do I Begin Treatment?
Initial Contact
In order to begin therapy, fill out the contact form on the site. Be sure to leave your phone number and e-mail. After an initial phone conversation, I will send you 2 forms to fill out (Intake questionnaire and BSI- Brief Symptom Inventory). The information you provide in these forms will enable us to prepare and utilize our time in session. Hence, it is important to complete the forms thoroughly and candidly.
Assessment
Once I receive the completed forms, I will contact you to schedule a session based on time slot availability. The submission of both intake forms is necessary in order to reserve an hour at the clinic. Please take into account that as time goes by, the hour we discussed prior to sending you the forms may no longer be available.
Once we have scheduled a time to meet, we will begin a series of assessment sessions geared towards understanding the challenges you face today. Together, we will try to understand and conceptualize the following points:
- What is your current situation? We will try to build a picture of your life, including your daily routine, eating habits, level of functioning, mood, work situation, personal relationships. Together, we will explore the nature of your most meaningful and close relationships.
- Do you struggle with problems aside from your chief complaint that need to be addressed? For example, depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorders are common among people who struggle with eating regulation problems and it is important to address these issues in a treatment plan.
- What factors have contributed to the development of your current challenges? What is your developmental and family history?
- What cognitive, emotional and behavior patterns perpetuate and/or exacerbate your current challenges? What in your current environment affects your situation?
- What are your current needs? What is important to you? How readily can you recognize and articulate your needs and values? To what extent do you look after your physical and emotional needs?
- What can be changed in the way you think or act that would lead to improvement in your emotional well-being and quality of life? Where should we begin?
- Which personal and interpersonal resources can contribute to therapy?
- Are there other factors that may affect the course of therapy?
The assessment phase ends with a mutual decision regarding whether it is appropriate to proceed with therapy. If agreed upon, a treatment plan that is based on the information and insights accumulated throughout the assessment process will be formulated. Together, we will articulate clear measurable goals that will serve as a basis for follow-up over time. This will enable us to obtain objective feedback regarding our progress vis-à-vis the goals we defined at the end of the assessment phase.