SERVICES
The Therapy Process: What to Expect From Your First Session and Beyond
ON THIS PAGE
Starting therapy usually comes with more questions than the therapy itself will ever ask you to answer. This page covers the practical ones — what happens before you book, what your first session actually looks like, and what the ongoing work involves — so the only thing left to figure out in the room is what you actually want to talk about.
Before Your First Appointment
You don't need a diagnosis, a referral, or a crisis to book a first appointment — just a sense that something's worth looking at, and a consultation to see if it's the right fit.
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You don't need a crisis or a diagnosis to start. If something keeps repeating — a pattern, a feeling, a version of yourself you don't quite recognize — that's reason enough. Most people who come to therapy aren't in crisis. They've just noticed something worth understanding.
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Individual therapy here is psychodynamic and relational, which means it's built to work with almost anything that shows up as a pattern rather than a single event: anxiety, relationship patterns, attachment and closeness, life transitions, and the parts of early motherhood that don't get talked about enough. If you're not sure your specific situation fits, the simplest way to find out is to ask directly in a consultation.
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You can book directly through the contact page, where you’ll find a form and information on scheduling a consultation.
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Yes. A consultation is a low-stakes way to ask questions and get a feel for whether this is the right fit, before committing to ongoing sessions.
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No referral is needed. You can reach out directly.
Your First Therapy Session
Your first session is a conversation, not a test: I'll ask what brought you in and what you're hoping might be different, and there's nothing you need to prepare beforehand.
What happens during the first therapy session?
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We talk. I'll ask what brought you in, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping might be different. There's no test to pass and nothing you need to prepare. You don't need a tidy explanation of what's wrong going in.
What questions will you ask me?
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Mostly open ones: what's been happening, how long it's been going on, and what you've noticed about it so far. I'm not working from a checklist — the questions follow what you bring in, not the other way around.
What if I don't know where to start?
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That's completely normal, and it's not something you need to solve before the session. We can start with whatever's most present for you right now, even if it feels unclear or unfinished.
Do I have to talk about everything in the first session?
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No. The first session is a start, not a full history. You'll share what feels relevant, and there's no expectation to cover everything at once.
During the Therapy Process
Ongoing therapy here is weekly, open-ended, and shaped together. There's no fixed timeline and no homework between sessions, just an evolving conversation.
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Sessions are conversational rather than structured around exercises or worksheets. You can read more about the overall approach on the services page. Broadly, we follow what's alive for you that week, while staying attentive to the patterns that keep showing up across sessions.
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Weekly, in most cases. Consistency is part of what makes the work effective — it's what allows trust to build and patterns to become visible over time.
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There's no fixed timeline. Some people work with me for a few months around a specific issue; others stay for years, working through different things as they come up. A pattern that took years to build doesn't loosen in six sessions, and I won't promise you that it will.
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Together, and it isn't a one-time decision. We'll talk regularly about how things are going and what feels most relevant to focus on, adjusting as your life and needs change.
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That's expected, and it's fine. Goals shift as you understand more about yourself — the work is built to move with that, not to hold you to whatever you said in session one.
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Not typically. This isn't a homework-based model. Occasionally something from a session may stay with you during the week, but there's no assigned work to complete.
Building a Therapeutic Relationship
Nervousness, tears, silence, and even a mismatch in fit are all a normal part of building this relationship, not signs that something's going wrong.
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Nervousness before a session, especially early on, is common and not a sign you're doing anything wrong. It usually eases as the relationship becomes more familiar.
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That's welcome here. Crying isn't a sign of things going wrong — it's often a sign that something real is being touched on.
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You don't need to fill the silence. Sometimes not knowing what to say is itself useful information, and we can look at that together rather than rushing past it.
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Fit matters, and not every match works. If something isn't feeling right, it's worth naming directly — sometimes that conversation itself is productive, and sometimes it means a different therapist would serve you better.
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Yes, at any point. Nothing you say in an early session locks you into a direction.
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Yes, at any point. Therapy works best as a two-way conversation, not something that happens to you.
Confidentiality & Privacy
What you share here is legally protected and never shared with anyone outside of session, with only the standard, narrow exceptions required by law.
Is therapy confidential?
Yes. What you share in session is protected by law and by professional ethics, and isn't shared with anyone outside of it.
Are there any exceptions to confidentiality?
A small number of legally required exceptions exist — primarily situations involving risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else, or specific court orders. These are the standard exceptions across the profession, and I'm happy to walk through them in more detail during a consultation.
Will anyone know I'm attending therapy?
Not through me. No one — including family members, employers, or insurance companies (in an out-of-network, private-pay practice) — is contacted or informed unless you specifically direct it.
Progress & Outcomes
Progress in this work usually looks like recognizing a pattern sooner or responding differently in the moment, not one dramatic turning point — and some discomfort along the way is expected, not a sign it isn't working.
How do I know if therapy is working?
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It's rarely a single dramatic shift. More often, it looks like recognizing a pattern earlier than you used to, or responding differently in a moment that would have gone the old way before. We'll talk regularly about how things feel to you, rather than leaving it unspoken.
What if I don't feel better straight away?
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That's normal, and it doesn't mean the work isn't working. Understanding something honestly can feel harder before it feels easier — insight and relief don't always arrive on the same schedule.
Can therapy be challenging?
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Yes, at times. Looking closely at a pattern you've relied on for years can be uncomfortable before it's clarifying. That discomfort is often part of the process, not a sign that something's gone wrong.
When will we know it's time to finish therapy?
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That's a conversation we have together, not a decision made unilaterally. Some people finish when the specific thing they came in for feels resolved; others taper off and return later when something new comes up. Both are normal.
Practical Information
This is an out-of-network, private-pay practice based in Brooklyn, with telehealth available across New York State.
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Current rates are listed on the rates page.
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This is an out-of-network, private-pay practice. I can provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement, depending on your plan.
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I ask for 48 hours notice to cancel or reschedule a session. This allows time to offer the slot to someone else who may need it. Sessions cancelled within 48 hours are charged at the full session fee.
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The office is located at 109 N 12th St, Suite 704, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Telehealth is available across New York State.
Ready to Take the First Step?
If you've been circling the idea of therapy without quite starting, you don't need to have it all figured out first. A consultation is a low-pressure way to ask questions and see if this feels like the right fit.