What to expect

Never been to counseling before? Here’s what to expect. First of all anything you say to a counselor is confidential, just like at with your physician. The only way a counselor should break your confidence if you are in danger of hurting yourself or someone else. I mean real danger too, not just because you are having difficulty controlling your thoughts. We are not our thoughts, unless or until those thoughts become plans or behavior.

Another thing to keep in mind is that I highly unlikely that you will shock me, no matter how awful you think your thoughts, feelings, or behaviors are. There are certain stories that are just part of the human condition, problems regarding self worth, addiction, family problems, relationship, and sexual issues, are common. Please come into counseling with the idea of being open, honest and vulnerable. You will get more out of it.

The other thing to expect is that I will ask a lot of questions. I want to know about your childhood, your family, your daily aches and pains, troublesome thoughts or thought patterns, your favorite foods, the quality of your sleep, your friendships, your romantic relaitonships, your career, and yes, even your poop. The last one often takes people by surprise, but IT MATTERS. We joke about having an “anxious gut” and having to run to the bathroom. On the other side depressed people often experience constipation. We can tell a lot about what is going on with us by what is going on inside our bellies. If we treat the belly we will help the mind. I want to be able to help you with that.

On the other hand. I will not force. I will not dredge up things that you do not want to talk about. Counseling is about digging for problems, it’s about making our day to day lives better. Sometimes our brains bury things for a reason.

So, if you’ve never been to counseling, it’s okay! I will make it as comfortable as I can. I will give you a safe space to share and hopefully grow.