Anyone can benefit from mental health treatment, from young children to older adults. Many of us go through difficult situations in our lives, such as depression, divorce, raising children with maladaptive behaviors, loneliness, eating disorders, etc. Others may just need some guidance, re-orientation toward achieving life goals, direction, and sometimes an intervention.

Therapy sessions are always confidential. The only exceptions are in instances where abuse is evident or if clinical documents are subpoenaed by law. Further details regarding confidentiality in these cases may be discussed at the first session.

The initial appointment is typically 60 minutes long. This includes the time to complete intake forms. Follow-up appointments are usually 45-50 minutes long. If you feel you might need more time at any given moment, discuss this with your therapist prior to the appointment date.

The time of treatment varies based on the patients needs and ability to live a mentally healthy life independently. A person can feel better immediately and can obtain essential information to benefit them in their lives in 3 to 4 sessions. Others may need more time to develop a rapport with the therapist and feel more comfortable sharing their issues with the therapist. Others may have multiple issues to work through and may require more time to resolve them. And then there are some with chronic, lifelong issues that may need therapy for longer periods.

If you feel that the therapist you are seeing is not the right one, then feel free to let your therapist know you would like to see a different therapist. You should never hesitate to request a different therapist, if you don’t feel comfortable with the one you are seeing. This is common. All therapists are trained to acknowledge and adjust when these situations are presented. Feeling comfortable when sharing your experiences and thoughts with a therapist is crucial to open communication in therapy sessions, and consequently good outcomes from these sessions.

For some people, there may feel there is a stigma attached to seeing a therapist and may be considered as being “crazy”. This is not so. In fact, attending therapy sessions is what sane individuals do to cope effectively with their hectic life demands, improve their life situations, create a better tomorrow for themselves and those around them. It is a safe harbor in the storm where one can say what is truly in their heart and mind, without judgment and in confidentiality, and work toward solutions to their situations.

Attending therapy does not necessitate the use of medications. Oftentimes, the individual is able to cope with a given situation in manner where medication is not needed. However, if the person needs more than just therapy, then medication and/or alternative medicine may be recommended.
Medication is intended for those individuals whose severity of the diagnosis is exacerbating their level of normal daily functioning and are in need of immediate of stabilization. Our mental health therapists are not able to prescribe medication. However, we would refer you to your physician or a psychiatrist in the event medication may be warranted.
Many studies have also shown significant impact that alternative medicine has made on many individuals’ mental health. These include acupuncture, massage, yoga, exercise, mindfulness meditation, and breathing techniques just to name a few.
To get more information, please discuss with your therapist.

Yes. Many illnesses resemble one another. Therefore, one should rule-out any physical ailments. Once you have been evaluated by your physician, then one should seek a mental health counselor. The mental health counselor will indicate if the person should need additional services such as medication or alternative medicine. If this is the case then a referral can be made to a psychiatrist/physician or a practitioner of alternative medicine.