The Counseling Process

“I am not what happens to me,

I am what I choose to become.”

-Carl Jung

“There is no standard normal. Normal is subjective. There are seven billion versions of normal on this planet.”

-Matt Haig

Before your first appointment, I will email an invitation to sign-up on the client portal. You will find paperwork there that needs to be completed. Everything is electronic so all of the forms will come straight back to me. The first session will be spent getting to know one another and the reason you are seeking counseling.

In my opinion, the most important part of the counseling process is for the counselor and the client to have a good relationship. It is imperative that the client feel comfortable and safe. I want my clients to feel at home. Take your shoes off and curl up on the couch if you like. If you are chilly, grab a blanket and wrap up.

Together we will discuss the problem and we will come up with goals that you want to achieve through counseling. Communication is vital to this process. If I misunderstand what you are trying to tell me, please correct me so that I can understand better.

If a goal isn’t working then we will work to change the goal or the intervention so that you can be successful. Counseling isn’t something that is done to you, it is a process that is done with you. You are in charge of what you want to change in your life. I am there to help you along the way. My commitment is to you, not those around you. My priority is you and your well-being.

There is no set timeline for the length of counseling. Some people see me for a short period of time to deal with a particular issue and others see me for longer periods of time dealing with different issues as they arise. The process of counseling should be therapeutic for the client and give him/her a feeling of accomplishment, being heard and understood, and unconditional acceptance.