While it is likely that you and I won’t share every experience, it is also quite likely that we share overlapping emotional reactions. In therapy, the context is usually not the most necessary aspect of how change occurs. Connecting on an emotional level, being able to feel understood, and receiving support in a different way are all skills I possess that can help you work through an experience we do not share.

Short answer: It depends.

Longer answer: Each person and situation is unique. I have had clients who I have seen 5 times and they feel their needs have been met. I have other clients I see two or three times a week for several years before they feel well enough to titrate down. I will work hard to work myself out of a job. This means I often ask about the effectiveness of your specific therapy, check in about when we can start seeing each other less frequently, and use treatment approaches that fit your specific treatment goals.

Not every therapist is a good fit for every client, and vice versa. I encourage you to give us a few sessions before determining if we match or not. It can take some time to feel comfortable and get into a rhythm, and I want us to give it a fair shake before deciding to move on. If at the end of a few sessions we decide it isn’t a good fit, I will help you determine what is missing in our relationship and try to send you to another clinician. No hard feelings, I promise.

It is very normal to feel nervous, scared, anxious, excited, determined, apathetic, or a variety of other feelings before your first appointment (or any appointment, really). I encourage you to allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling in the moment, and to prepare yourself in whatever way feels the most calming. Some clients come to their first session with a list of things they want to make sure to talk about. Others will wing it. You do what you think is best for you and I will follow your lead. Want to talk about your favorite video game for the first 10 minutes of our meeting? Great! Want to sit quietly for a few moments to compose yourself before diving in? Awesome! You do you.

Unfortunately, you don’t know. What I can tell you is that I try very hard to make therapy with me be the best experience possible, knowing that therapy is uncomfortable and challenging and at times painful. I have had a number of clients who had damaging and unethical treatment by other clinicians, and the consistent feedback I get from them is that they feel safe with me and my approach. It is a risk to put yourself out there again, and I think it might be worth it.

I do! I started using telehealth during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I believe it is here to stay. I use a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform through Google called Google Meet. If you live anywhere in the state of Michigan or any participating PSYPACT states (see my page on PSYPACT), I can work with you. There are numerous studies before and during the pandemic assessing the efficacy of treatment using different modalities, and it seems like telehealth and in-person appointments lead to approximately the same outcomes. So the choice is yours for however you want to commence your treatment!

Basically, PSYPACT clinicians are able to see clients virtually in other PSYPACT states. This means that if you are usually located in my home state of Michigan, but are traveling for work or school to another PSYPACT state, I can still legally and ethically provide services via telehealth. This also means that if you do not reside in Michigan but do reside in a PSYPACT state, I can see you legally and ethically. Visit this webpage to find out more information, and feel free to ask me questions if you are unsure.

Sure! I was born in Missouri, raised in Iowa, and went to school in Indiana. While I may be a Michigan transplant, I have visited the Traverse City area my entire life. I fell in love with someone from the east side of the state, and we had a dream of settling down near a lake, as water is both calming and connecting for us. An opportunity arose for us to move to Traverse City, and we jumped on it. In my free time, I like playing board games and video games, making nerdy counted cross stitch, and spending time with my partner and son. You can find me any given weekend going bike riding, brewing beer in our basement, or watching the next episode of Master Chef Junior.

I have always felt a connection with nature, and feel most calm by water and trees. I’m also a big proponent of metaphor and symbolism, and I like what trees symbolize: growth; renewal; change. I wanted a tree specific to Michigan that I felt particularly connected with, and I settled on maple trees. They are one of the more adaptive trees, able to grow in pretty much any soil type. They also have the most fun seeds. I challenge anyone to throw a maple seed into the air and not enjoy how it spins toward the ground.