Counseling Westminster Maryland

First off all, if you reached out to me (or another counselor) for an appointment, that is the first step towards finding healing. Some people never reach out for help, so good for you!!

If you’ve never been to counseling before, (or even if you have!) it can feel a little intimidating. You’re sitting down with someone that you haven’t met before to share details of your life that are causing you pain, confusion, or anguish.

The first counseling session is a little different than following appointments, so here is what you can expect in the first session:

You will find a safe environment for all ethnicities, genders, and ages for counseling where:

you’ll be welcomed
you won’t be judged
you’ll be made to feel as though you matter
you’ll be listened to
you’ll be shown empathy
you’ll feel valued as a human being
you can ask questions
you’ll learn a little bit more about me, narrative counseling and my counseling philosophy
we’ll walk through a few forms
we’ll work together – you’re the expert in your story, not me
we’ll talk about some goals that we can be working towards
we’ll get to know each other

Assuming that you would like to keep working together we’ll figure out a good time / day for us to continue to meet.
p.s. It’s not like the movies, I don’t have a couch for you to lie down on, lol.

Expect the first session to last about 75 minutes. Since this is the first session and we’re getting to know each other, this gives us additional time to work on building a counseling relationship.

Some tips:

After personally working with a counselor for years, I try to give myself permission while driving to my appointment to think about how I am really doing, and what has been on my mind over the past week. This drive has become an important space for me.

Counseling is hard work, you’re talking about emotions and situations that you might be trying to avoid. Know that you might be a little bit more tired for the rest of the day. On the way home from counseling I try to treat myself to something that I enjoy (hello, Hibachi takeout) and to give myself some grace for the rest of the day knowing that counseling takes more than just physical energy, but also emotional and mental energy.

Location

Counseling in Westminster, MD