We usually spend the first 1-4 sessions (2-6 sessions for couples) developing a clear understanding of your issues and their root causes. During this time we first answer any questions that you may have about our background, our philosophy of treatment or our techniques. We then get to know you by getting some basic background information and then get to know you better by asking very specific questions about your problems, history and goals. Since problems often have many different types of roots, we look at psychological causes, physical problems, skill deficits, motivational issues and anything else that may contribute to your difficulties. We then do an emotional evaluation where we have you go through an exercise designed to allow emotional issues that are underneath the surface to come up so that we can identify their roots and see how they affect your current life.

All of this information allows us to develop a comprehensive understanding of your problems that makes sense to you and us along with a plan to help you achieve the greatest amount of change in the least amount of time. We also help you to devise a ‘final exam,’ a concrete way that you will know that you have achieved what you came for and for us to know that our work is done. We will give you an estimate of the number of sessions that the work will take and work with you to determine the frequency and length of sessions that will work best for you. Depending on your needs we may also refer you to other specialists, consult with your doctor or do whatever else it takes to get you on the right track.