Question 1

What does the intake process look like?

Accepted Answer

At Blue Jay Therapy, I strive to make the intake process comfortable and seamless.

I offer a free 20 minute consultation to all prospective clients for us to meet and see if we are a good fit.  If you decide that you would like to work with me as your therapist and I feel confident that I have the training necessary to work with your specific presentation of symptoms, then our next step would be scheduling an intake assessment.

The intake assessment is a 60 minute appointment where I learn more about your background, your relational history, present challenges, and goals for your time in therapy.  Before the intake assessment, I will send you a secure link to fill out some forms that will help me tailor the intake session to your specific needs.

After the intake session, we will meet on a weekly basis for at least 3 months; after 3 months, we will reevaluate your session frequency based on your needs and progress.

This is the policy at Blue Jay Therapy because I have found that weekly sessions provide the consistency necessary to support clients in the initial phases of therapy.  This can be a time of significant growth and change, and having the scaffolded support of weekly sessions supports this growth.

Question 2

How long does therapy last?

Accepted Answer

I usually wrap up our sessions at the 53 or 54 minute mark and use the last 6-7 minutes of the hour to finish up the paperwork for our session.
Therapy in general can last anywhere from a couple of months to a few years.  It depends on what your treatment goals are and how severe your symptoms are.  There is no right or wrong timeline to finishing therapy.
As your clinician, I will not decide for you when your time in therapy is done.  This is a choice you make based on your progress toward your treatment goals.  Sometimes, when people reach their treatment goals, they decide to end their time in therapy.  For others, they create new treatment goals and continue their time in therapy.

Question 3

What is the therapist's role in therapy?

Accepted Answer

Provide education to you as the client to understand how you can change your ways of thinking, how you treat yourself and others, and practice problem-solving in a way that helps you achieve your treatment goals
Receive feedback from you as the client and pivot as needed, based on your needs
Maintain current education and knowledge in the field as it relates to the client’s needs and treatment goals
Regularly share resources with you as the client to help you gain more insight on your situation and ways you can make healthy changes
Listen without judgment
Challenge the client’s cognitive distortions or unhealthy thought/behavioral patterns
Maintain confidentiality unless the client shares they have plans to harm themselves or someone else; in this case, the clinician will inform the necessary parties so that everyone can be safe.
Support the client by holding space for the client’s emotions and experiences

Question 4

The client has a few responsibilities in therapy. They are:

Accepted Answer

Creating treatment goals for your time in therapy; this is usually done during your intake session, and we will revisit the goals every couple of months to ensure they are still relevant.  Having a vision for how you want things to improve is important.  If you struggle with this, we can work on it together.
Creating ‘homework’ for each week in between sessions where you will practice what has been discussed in sessions; some examples are practicing a coping skill, practicing healthier communication skills, or reframing your internal self talk.
Throughout your week, making healthy changes that are discussed in sessions; this is critically important if you want to see improvements in your mental health and relationships.
Taking accountability for your opportunities for growth and observing barriers that prevent you from making changes; some say self awareness is 80% of change.  When we discuss challenges in making changes, it’s not met with perfectionism.  We work as a team to problem solve how you can overcome the barriers that are preventing you from putting these things into practice.  Mistakes are just learning opportunities!
Share feedback with the therapist on what is and is not helpful in sessions; this is vitally important for me to know, as your sessions are about you.  I want to make sure you are getting out of them exactly what you need.  I welcome and appreciate opportunities for my own growth!

Question 5

Do you offer telehealth appointments?

Accepted Answer

I am happy to offer telehealth sessions on an as-needed basis.  This is often provided when clients (or myself) are home sick.  Due to licensing laws, I am not able to offer a telehealth session to you when you are traveling outside the state of Idaho.  I can only offer a telehealth appointment if you will be physically in the state of Idaho during the telehealth appointment.

Question 6

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

Clients are required to give 48 hours notice if they will be cancelling their appointment.  If they cancel within 48 hours of their appointment, they will be charged a fee of $125 using the card on file.

Question 7

What is your confidentiality policy?

Accepted Answer

As a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), I am a mandated reporter.  This means that I am legally obligated to report when I have reason to believe you have plans to harm yourself or someone else.

Unless you are sharing with me your plans to harm yourself or someone else, everything you share in our sessions is strictly confidential.  A therapist sharing any of your information is prohibited by law.

Blue Jay Therapy

Frequently asked questions