What appointment times are available?
Each therapist has a different schedule. We have daytime, evening, and weekend appointments available. You would need to contact the therapist you are interested in working with directly to find out his/her schedule.
How often will I have therapy sessions?
We offer sessions at least once per week. We find that every other week doesn’t allow for the relationship to develop enough for real change to happen. Some patients prefer to come more often. Some people do better with more containment through multiple sessions per week. Others want to do more depth work and find that multiple session per week creates a better space to go deeper within the psyche
How long is a therapy session?
The length of session will be discussed prior to your first meeting. Individual sessions typically are 45-50 minutes. Couples or family sessions typically range between 45-90 minutes, depending on the psychotherapist, the couple, and what the need is.
Does what we talk about in therapy stay confidential?
Knowing that what you say does leave the therapy office is essential to feel safe to say whatever is on your mind. Successful therapy requires trust that your deepest secrets, insecurities, and vulnerable parts of yourself will not be discussed with anyone else. There are a few exceptions:
1. A signed release of information
If you would like your therapist to talk to your psychiatrist, medical doctor, naturopath, or family member, then a signed release of information that clearly denotes what will be discussed, for what purpose, and what is the time limit of the disclosure.
If you choose to use insurance to pay for psychotherapy, the insurance company may request information from your chart and/or to speak to your therapist. A signed release must be signed prior to releasing information to your insurance carrier.
2. Mandated reporting
State law and professional ethics require therapists to break confidentiality by filing a mandated report to proper authorities if there is suspected past or present abuse of children, adult dependents, and elders. Information outside the scope of the report is not shared.
3. Danger to self or others
If you are of imminent danger of harming yourself or others, then your therapist will take measures to keep you and others safe. This may include breaking confidentiality. Information shared with your therapist that is unrelated to the imminent harm will not be shared.
4. Court Order
If a court subpoena’s your records, your therapist may be required to release your records.
5. Psychological Assistant & Supervisor
A psychological assistant is a psychotherapist who is registered with the Board of Psychology, but doesn’t have a license to practice independently yet. They have a supervisor with whom they discuss cases to insure quality of services, develop as a psychologist, and complete their training for licensure. Psychological assistants have a minimum of 2 years of psychological education and 1 year of clinical training. They may or may not have graduated with a doctorate yet, but have either completed a master’s degree or advanced to candidacy in their doctorate program.
]Cadyn Cathers, MA and Nicolle Zozakeem, MA are psychological assistants. Kenneth Scott, PsyD is the supervisor.
Outside of these rare exceptions, everything that you say doesn’t get shared with anyone else.
For adults: Can I bring my partner to therapy?
The best answer to this question is to discuss it with your therapist in advance. Together we can discuss the purpose for the joint visit and limits on what you want talked about.
For parents: Can I attend my child’s session?
Typically child/adolescent therapy is conducted without the parent present. However, parents are brought in as needed, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few sessions. This allows the child to talk openly and feel that the therapy is about their concerns. Therapy is not about keeping secrets from the parents, but giving the child privacy.