How Long is This Gonna Take?
Begin with the end in mind -Unknown Some people want therapy indefinitely and think of it as mental hygiene. Others …
Starting therapy means finding a balance between getting the big picture and focusing on what’s most important to you. I’ll tailor our sessions to suit your needs, but first, I use standard assessments to get an overall understanding. We might explore other assessments later if they fit your situation.
In our first session, we’ll spend some time going over the initial assessments and legal info, then dive into what brings you to therapy. Future sessions will be all about your specific needs.
Filling out these forms before our first meeting helps me focus on what matters most to you. I know it can feel like a lot, but I’ll explain why I’m asking for each one.
Required legal documents
You’ll need to sign a few forms required by Washington State and HIPAA. You can check them out on my Policies page.
Session-by-session assessments
Tracking progress helps us get better results. Before each session, I’ll ask you to answer three quick questions to rate how things are going overall. After the session, there are three more questions about how you felt during our time together.
- Outcome Rating: Tracks our progress with three simple questions. We’ll refer back to these regularly. They are, on a 0-10 scale:
- How have I felt inside, how have my “gut” feelings been?
- How were my relationships with people I care about?
- How have I been doing with tasks (work, school, home)?
- Session Experience: These three questions help ensure we’re working well together and that you feel heard and understood. They are, on a 0-10 scale:
- Did I feel respected, cared about, and really heard?
- Did we work on the right things today?
- Did we work on what I want to change in my life?
Optional initial assessments
These help us make the most of our first session.
- Intake Questionnaire: Share as much or as little as you’d like about why you’re coming in. It’s not required but gives me a better understanding of your context.
- Cooper-Norcross Inventory: Discover what therapy style suits you best. It covers things like how direct you want me to be and whether you prefer focusing on the past or present.
