What It’s Like to Be in Therapy With Me: A Walkthrough of the Process

Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before. Maybe you’re unsure what to expect, nervous about opening up, or wondering if your therapist will actually understand what you’re going through. These feelings are completely normal. In fact, they’re part of what makes beginning therapy such a courageous step.

If you’re a teen, college student, or young adult navigating anxiety, perfectionism, stress, people-pleasing, or life transitions, you might be thinking: Will this even help? Am I just going to sit and talk? What if I don’t know what to say?

I get it. That’s why I want to walk you through exactly what therapy looks like when you work with me—so you can feel grounded, safe, and empowered before you ever walk through the door (or log on).

Step 1: The First Connection (AKA the "Vibe Check")

Our relationship starts with a free 15-minute phone consultation. Think of this as a casual conversation—no pressure, no forms, no therapy lingo. You tell me a little about what you’re struggling with, and I’ll share how I might be able to help.

It’s also a space to ask questions like:

• Do you work with teens with depression?

• Can you help with high-functioning anxiety or OCD?

• Do you work with kids with anxiety or trauma?

• What does a typical session look like?

By the end, you’ll know whether we feel like a good fit. (Hint: The "fit" is one of the most important predictors of success in therapy!)

Step 2: The First Session (Creating the Safety Net)

Once we decide to move forward, we schedule your first session. This is where we start to create our foundation. I’ll ask questions about what’s going on in your world right now, what brought you to therapy, and what your hopes are.

But don’t worry—you’re not expected to spill your life story in one sitting. I meet you where you are.

You can expect:

• A warm, welcoming space (yes, even virtually)

• Zero judgment, no matter what you share

• Collaborative goal-setting (we’ll build a plan together)

• Time to just feel heard

Many clients say they leave the first session feeling like a weight has been lifted, even if they were nervous going in.

Step 3: Building Emotional Awareness and Language

If you’re a teen or young adult who struggles with emotional regulation or tends to shut down under stress, this is where we begin building the skills to help you feel more in control. We explore how these habits and emotional patterns are showing up in your life, and begin to help you recognize when and where they are coming up.

A big part of this process is learning to catch early signs of overwhelm and match them with calming strategies that actually work for you—whether that’s movement, grounding techniques, journaling, or changing your self-talk in the moment.

We also work on building your emotional vocabulary, because you can’t manage what you can’t name.

This part of therapy helps:

• Teens and young adults increase self-awareness and resilience

• Parents better understand what’s happening beneath the surface of their children

• High-achieving young women develop more self-compassion and reduce self-criticism

Step 4: Deepening the Work (Healing + Tools)

Once we’ve built trust and language around emotions, we can go deeper. This is where real transformation happens.

Depending on what you’re working through, we might:

• Process grief or loss (especially for teens navigating death, divorce, or big changes)

• Challenge perfectionism and people-pleasing patterns

• Learn cognitive-behavioral techniques for managing anxiety or OCD

• Practice boundary-setting in friendships and family relationships

I blend warmth and compassion with evidence-based strategies, so you walk away not just feeling better, but knowing what to do when hard moments show up.

Step 5: Integration and Growth

Therapy isn’t just about venting—it’s about growth. And growth doesn’t happen in one breakthrough session. It builds over time.

Eventually, our sessions start to feel like tune-ups. You come in with more clarity, more confidence, and more tools in your emotional toolbox. Together, we celebrate wins and gently explore any new roadblocks.

Many of my clients reach a point where they feel ready to graduate from therapy, knowing they can always come back if life throws a curveball. Others choose to continue on a less frequent basis for ongoing support.

What Makes My Approach Unique

• I specialize in high-achieving teens and young adults, and women. I understand the pressure you feel to be perfect, successful, or "the strong one."

• I speak your language. Therapy with me is casual, conversational, and real. We can talk about TikTok, spiral thinking, and awkward text convos.

• I include parents without overwhelming them. I offer sessions for young children and parents as well. If you’re a parent, I offer brief check-ins to help you support your child without feeling like you have to be the therapist.

• I’m trained in multiple modalities. From CBT to ACT to play therapy, I tailor therapy to you.

Ready to Begin?

If you’re feeling stuck, anxious, or like you're holding it all together on the outside while struggling on the inside—you don’t have to keep doing it alone.

Therapy can be the space where you finally exhale. Where things start to make sense. Where change becomes possible.

Click to Here schedule your free 15-minute consultation.

Let’s get you from barely coping to actually thriving.

You’re not too broken, too late, or too much. You’re just getting there.