Your therapist will meet with you for an initial consultation and assessment to determine your needs and goals. After this meeting, we review different therapy approaches and collaboratively agree on a plan. Your therapy plan entails the goals you are working to achieve, the frequency of therapy sessions (e.g., weekly, biweekly, monthly), the length of time needed to meet goals, and the strategies we will utilize in and outside of our meetings. Most therapy services are designed to be completed in 12-24 meetings. Your therapist will periodically review your progress in therapy and make adjustments, as needed. While it is true that your therapist is here to listen, therapy is more than just talking. We assist you to make concrete changes in your behavior and break unhelpful patterns that keep you stuck in emotional distress. Thus, expect therapy to be an active process both inside and outside the therapy room.

Dr. Jones has completed Level 1 and Level 2 of the Gottman Method for couples therapy and utilize this approach in my work with couples. The Gottman Method is an approach to couples therapy that includes a thorough assessment of the couple relationship and integrates research-based interventions based on the Sound Relationship House Theory. First, I will meet with both individuals within the partnership to get an idea of the issues within the relationship and goals for therapy. Following this initial meeting, I will meet with each partner for an individual assessment. The couple will also take an online assessment that will provide additional information about the strengths and areas of growth within the relationship. After the assessments are complete, we work together to master skills, based on your specific needs as individuals and as a couple, that have been found to contribute to relationship success.

We will meet with the individuals interested in starting a group for an initial consultation to determine your needs and goals. You may decide to start a group to address a particular problem, like depression, trauma recovery, or stress management, or you may desire an open-format in which members determine the discussion for the day. We will help you determine an appropriate number of group meetings to address your needs. Groups can be between 5-10 people. We may also briefly meet with each group member individually to discuss your personalized goal for group. This allows your therapist to ensure strategies and discussions are incorporated to meet group members’ individual and collective needs.

When beginning child therapy with a new client, we start with a conversation with the client's guardians, who may be involved with the client’s therapeutic process, as well as the client, to get an idea from each individual involved about what goals they desire for the child to achieve during therapy. We then allow parents to share concerns separately and the client to share their concerns separately for everyone to feel heard. This process allows for a strong understanding of the desired results from therapy and allows everyone to be on the same page for the therapeutic process. We are then available throughout the duration of the client’s therapy journey, outside of the client’s sessions, to discuss questions with parents and guardians while respecting the privacy and confidentiality given to each client. This allows for everyone to work together for the benefit of the client.