Scheduling treatment begins with a free 15-minute phone consultation with me or with a phone call to the front office (see Contact Me section). After that, all appointments will be scheduled with me directly through phone or email.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Some factors which can influence the duration of treatment are: -the severity of the concern (Is this a minor thing or something that consumes your whole life?) -the complexity of the concern (Is there one thing bothering you or are there multiple things you would like to address in therapy?) -the duration of the concern (Is this something that developed a week ago or have you lived with this concern for 30 years?) -environmental factors (Do you have supportive, trusted people in your life or do you live or work somewhere that adds extra layers of stress to your concerns?) -your investment in your own healing (While our appointments only last one hour, you have more than 100 hours outside of therapy each week. How are you engaging with your own healing in that time?) These factors and many more can influence the duration of treatment. Unless you are legally mandated to attend therapy, your participation in therapy is a voluntary process. In other words, you are free to discontinue treatment at any time, for any reason, whether you feel that you have made sufficient progress toward your treatment goals or not.

Individuals seek therapy for many different reasons. I see therapy as a fundamentally client-led process, so even though I may make suggestions on what we can talk about, it is on the client to decide where they are willing to go. In other words, what is discussed in therapy depends on the person's goals for therapy and what they would like to explore. In this way, therapy is collaborative and tailored to the individual.

Only you can decide if a therapist is a good match for you, and because modern psychology research consistently shows that the most important predictor of therapeutic success is the relationship between client and therapist, I encourage you to take this decision seriously. In general, I encourage you to work with a therapist with whom you feel heard, respected, and treated as an active participant in your treatment; I would discourage you from working with therapists with whom you feel unheard, invalidated, or belittled. In my specific case, I aim to respect all parts of your human being--even the parts you may feel embarrassed or ashamed about--and welcome the whole you in our therapy. I do not believe it is my job to "fix" you because I do not believe you are "broken"; if you would like a therapist to "fix" you, I would suggest that you consider another professional for your work. Instead, I believe that our work will be fundamentally about you--finding what you desire, discovering what works for you, and developing your own agency to navigate both the peaceful and turbulent times of your life. Indeed, I believe my job as a therapist is to work myself out of a job because it is my sincere hope that, no matter how long it may take, there will come a time you will not need my services anymore, and that is the bittersweet ultimate goal of therapy. If my therapy philosophy resonates with you, please do not hesitate to contact me for a free 15-minute phone consultation. Even if we begin our work together, if later on you do not feel that I am the right fit for your concerns, I will hope that we can try to address any issues within our relationship, but if these issues prove to be beyond repair, then I will personally provide you with referrals to other professionals. It is most important to me that you receive the care you need, even if not with me.

Psychotherapy can be thought of as a collaborative process between a client and a mental health professional with a goal to better some aspect of the client's life. The goal is agreed upon by both the client and the mental health professional, although this can vary depending on circumstances, such as when a client is mandated to do therapy as part of a court order. Through the exploration of a client's past or present experiences, patterns of behavior, emotional and cognitive patterns, relationships, beliefs about life, cultural influences, and much more, the mental health professional and the client work to increase client health or life satisfaction. Frequently, the process to achieve this goal is transformative, as both the details of a difficult situation as well as the client themselves can change during therapy. To seek to further explain psychotherapy in generalities would be to do a disservice to the flexibility and amplitude therapy can have. Please read about the different kinds of therapy in the Available Services section.

All therapy will begin with an intake appointment. This is a session in which I will ask you many questions about you, your current life, and your history so that I may know you as a person and gain a better understanding of the issues bringing you to counseling. I will also provide you with information related to your rights as a client and the limits of counselor-client confidentiality at the beginning of the intake. After the intake, I will draft a treatment plan based on your stated concerns and goals, and we will review this treatment plan at the next appointment, collaboratively--I as the clinical expert, and you as the expert on your life. Together, we will create a treatment plan with which we are both satisfied, and we will use this treatment plan to guide our work together. Standard price for intake appointments is $150.00; standard price for subsequent appointments is $100.00. If you have financial concerns or would like to inquire about sliding scale fees, please discuss this information with me during an initial free 15-minute phone consultation. Please take a moment to see our Available Services section for further information.

As an LPC-Associate, I do not accept insurance. All payments must be made out of pocket. Although sliding scales fees are offered in some cases, a first appointment (intake) will typically be $150.00, and all subsequent sessions will be $100.00. You can set up a credit or debit card with me during your first appointment. We also accept money orders. Please get in contact with me if you would like to inquire about sliding scale fees.

I see in-person clients as part of a practice located at 10900 Northwest Freeway #205, Houston, TX 77092 and see virtual clients from all over Texas.

Therapy works best when attendance is consistent based on the agreed-upon treatment frequency with your counselor. However, you are always welcome to cancel or reschedule an appointment with me as long as I receive a notification minimum 24 hours in advance.

I always aim to treat people in the most honest, respectful, and empowering way possible. My most honest answer to this question is that not everyone who tries therapy walks away feeling that it was helpful; many do, but not everyone does. One reason for this is that there is often no "quick fix" for a mental health concern. Human lives are complex, and therefore, therapy is a process which often requires intention and patience to see the best results. In the same way that it would be unlikely for you to successfully run a marathon after jogging once or twice in your neighborhood, you may need to stick with therapy for a bit before the benefits become apparent to you. Also, not everyone is in a position to make the necessary mental, emotional, financial, and time commitment for therapy; it is certainly possible that now is not the moment for therapy in your life. Whether or not therapy is for you is a deeply personal decision which only you can make, and that decision requires effort and courage upfront. Here are just a few reasons someone might find therapy helpful: - You want something to change in your life and would like or need help with this change - You keep bumping into the same pattern or difficulty and want to approach it differently - You want an outside perspective and/or more information about mental health - You want to find a way to stop "living in the past" or feeling preoccupied by the future - You want to learn a different way of having relationships that are meaningful, safe, and pleasant