1. Interview the therapist.

Compile a list of questions you have for the therapist to ask on the initial call. If you only get a receptionist or can’t talk directly to the therapist, I suggest you seek a more personal counselor and less angency type. No one likes to think of themselves as a number. It is important to me that I give each potential client as much time on the initial call to ask any question they have. I also go over my approach in detail to see if the potential client thinks it’s a good fit for them. I want them to be very clear that my approach is very unique and anything but watered down.

Understandably many do not want to go that deep and are seeking a therapist for talk therapy. They want to bounce ideas off of someone and be listened to. Maybe learn coping skills to manage their problems and setting boundaries. I call this the “band aide therapy”.

I am concerned with eliminating problems, changing the entire way you view things and moving to a place of acceptance, self love, increased awareness and consciousness.

Setting boundaries is not in my vocabulary.If you have to set a boundary them that means you are boxed in. If you have to cope and that’s the very best you can do then I feel sad. We do not in this life, have to settling for coping with anything.

2. How flexible is the therapist?

So many therapist (the majority) run on a standard 50 min session model. You are in and out because there is another client waiting to come in. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that if you need the extra 20-30 min to finish up processing or discussing a sensitive topic, your therapist would allow the space and flexibility to let the session end in a natural and peaceful place. Who wants to leave a session full of anxiety and more depressed then before entering?

There is very little therapy that can be done in 50 min. How can you discuss your situation, feel comfortable with the therapist and have some real helpful ways to approach your issues? I tell each of my clients that I always have a two hour window for the first session and keep a 90 min opening for all following. I can’t feel pressured and you deserve the respect of being able to have enough time to really get some good solid work done in session. Many will tell you that if you run over your time slot then the remainder is prorated. That to me sounds unnatural and cold. If you see me we do what we need to do and don’t clock watch or prorate session. Who has time for all of that? If we go over then it’s on me.

3. How flexible and willing is the therapist to work with you regarding payment of services?

We are seeing more and more insurance companies not covering mental health benefits. If they do its approved for only a few sessions, which most of the time goes to just eating away at your deductible. Therapist follow the 50 min session time frame because that is what insurance pays for. Therefore therapist go into burnout mode seeing 7-9 clients a day back to back. On top of the hour. I can tell you there is no way I could last as a therapist seeing more than 3-4 a day. Why so few? Because it is exhausting for both the client and therapist.

I put 110% of all my energy, focus, and attention into my work. My goal is to get in there and find those roots growing and pull the whole weed out. I am tracking your every word, your body language and energy. Like a radar seeking to catch the real root cause fast. You will see change in the first session. It’s a total process of life changing transformation. I would be doing you a disservice to keep you on week after week. I want my clients to know that all the answers to their questions, problems, they have the key to unlock. My goal is to unlock the thought process, the conditioning and messages that are keeping you stuck. You will snap open and realize you knew all along intuitively the answer.