People seek counseling for a host of regular life problems: unresolved trauma, major life transitions, parenting challenges, etc. Often, seeing a counselor individually or with family members is where we start on the therapy journey. Our free consult session is an opportunity to get to know each other, to ensure that Phenix Counseling is the place that will facilitate your growth and transformation. We will ask questions to get a general idea of what concerns you and to screen for issues not appropriate for tele-health. We avoid going into detail as our focus is more on exploring a therapeutic relationship versus jumping into the work of therapy. You will have a chance to ask questions about your therapist’s knowledge and skill as well as get a feel for whether or not you feel comfortable and connected. Prior to your appointment, you will be given a simple, one-page form to provide basic information about yourself.

After the consult session, you will receive our service agreement documents so you have a detailed picture of what our work will entail. That becomes a topic of conversation for your first therapy session to ensure you’ve had a chance to explore any questions you may have. We will also dive deeper into why you are seeking therapy, the details of the life you want to build and what factors have led to this timing.  Once we have this first meeting and the service agreement is settled, you will receive a full personal information packet to complete and our next appointment is an intake where we get the details of your life history and current concerns. From this, we are able to collaboratively create a specific treatment plan which guides our work from that point on.

When kids/teens are a focus of therapy, these initial therapy sessions happen with the parent/s alone so that there is freedom to share openly. Parents are prioritized as the main agents of change in our work with kids and teens so the process begins with them.  To learn more about how we structure work with kids/teens, click here.