Beginning therapy can feel intimidating. It requires courage, determination, and curiosity to open the doors to self-examination. Bringing a child to therapy can be a particularly difficult step for parents to take. Most parents have many questions and concerns: Am I doing the right thing? Will my child be stigmatized by being in therapy? What will I tell family and friends? Is it my fault that my child is struggling? Will the therapist be critical or judgmental? How will we manage the finances?
I will do my very best to make the process of beginning therapy for yourself or your child as comfortable and easy as possible. You have already taken the first step by clicking on my website. Take a look around and see if you think I might be a good fit for you and/ or your child. Then, if you are still interested, please contact me by telephone or e-mail so that we can talk about your concerns and goals, and I can answer any questions for you.
If we decide to work together, our first meeting will be a one hour intake. For adults seeking individual therapy, this is an opportunity for me to begin getting to know you and what you are hoping to achieve in therapy. For parents of children entering therapy, this is a chance for me to learn about your child, and discuss how we can work together to help your child reach his or her potential. For children under the age of 13, this first meeting is for parents only. I want us to be able to talk freely about your concerns and your childʼs history. I will schedule 2 or 3 initial meetings with your child separately to get to know him or her. Following those meetings, parents and I meet again to develop a treatment plan that will be tailored to the needs of your child. The intake process for adolescents is decided on an individual basis in our initial telephone contact.
My office is located in my home in the Oak Hill section of Herndon. I believe a home office provides a warm, comfortable space that will feel familiar and relaxing to adults and children alike. After many years as a clinician in a busy group practice, I am enjoying the peace and quiet of an office at home, with a view of the woods rather than a parking lot.