What to Expect on Your First Visit
Beginning Our Work Together
Your first therapy session is designed to do two simple things: understand where you are right now and build a strong, comfortable working relationship.
1. Understanding Your Circumstances
Our first meeting is a dedicated space to explore what is bringing you to therapy. While my areas of expertise guide our work, your story and life circumstances are unique. Together, we will look at what you are experiencing and figure out what approach feels right for you and your daily life.
Healing and growth are active processes. Between sessions, I may suggest simple actions, practical exercises, or reading tailored to your goals so you can keep building momentum in your everyday life.
2. Building a Supportive Relationship
Therapy works best when it is built on genuine trust, honesty, and mutual respect. Our first session is a two-way conversation—a chance for me to get to know you, and for you to get to know me.
I will ask about your primary concerns, your history, family, career, and life story, but you are always welcome to ask questions, too. The quality of the relationship we build is the single most important predictor of your success in therapy.
What you can always expect in our work together:
Compassion & Respect: You will be met with true empathy, patience, and non-judgmental understanding.
A Dedicated Listener: A safe space where your perspective, feelings, and lived experiences are heard and valued.
Evidence-Based Insights: Practical, science-backed guidance and tools to help you work through mental health challenges.
A Secure Environment: A confidential, safe space where you can speak openly and authentically.
Real Strategies for Real Change: Actionable tools you can use immediately to make positive, lasting changes in your life.
Is Therapy Confidential?
Privacy & Discretion
As a general rule, all therapy sessions are completely confidential. What you share in therapy stays between us. Under federal and state privacy laws (including HIPAA), no information from your sessions can be disclosed without your explicit written consent.
Legal Exceptions to Confidentiality
To ensure safety, California law requires therapists to break confidentiality under a few specific, limited circumstances:
Abuse or Neglect: If there is suspected or reported abuse or neglect involving a child, dependent adult, or elder.
Harm to Others: If a client expresses a clear intent or threat to cause severe physical harm to another person.
Harm to Self: If a client is in immediate danger of harming themselves, we will take all necessary steps together—or involve emergency support—to ensure safety.
