I would like to answer some common questions that people have about counseling:

 
Q:  What ages do you work with?

A:  My clients are anywhere from 3 years old until 65 years old.

 
Q:  I see you have a dog on your website.  Does he work with you?

A:  Yes, my Goldendoodle, Noodle, is working with me.  His work involves greeting clients, sitting on the couch with them, and sleeping.  

 
Q:  On your website, it says that you do cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy.  What if I just want to talk about a problem, do you do talk therapy?  

A:  Yes, I can talk to you about whatever you want to talk about.  Clients often talk to us about their relationships, school, family, and work.

 
Here are some questions people would like to ask their therapist but never do:

 
Q:  When you write down notes during the session, what are you writing about?

A:  I usually write about the main topics  we talk about during the session.  Frequently, I copy my notes and give them to my clients so they can remember what we talked about and what they can work on until the next session.

 
Q:  Do you think I’m crazy?  Are you going to judge me?

A:   My focus is on what I can do to help my clients and not on judging them. 


Q:  I went to a previous therapist who appeared to want to continue working with me forever even though my anxiety was greatly reduced.  Is that your approach?

A:  No.  Good therapists will tell their clients when they may no longer need therapy.   Clients don’t like to feel rushed and don’t want the therapy to drag on too long.  I try to be at the same pace as my clients in regards to how long the therapy should last.  


Q:  Physicians have a motto, “do no harm”.  What is your motto?

A:  My motto is “always do things for the right reasons and don’t do things for the wrong reasons”.  As a therapist, this means that I need to focus on the client’s agenda during my sessions instead of my own agenda and don’t give advice that I am not qualified to give.