Frequently Asked Questions.

Therapy can be vulnerable and new, so it’s natural to be nervous. It can feel intimidating to sit with someone and talk about how you feel. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. Taking steps to seek help for the challenges we face is a huge step. It takes courage to realize we can’t face our issues alone.

Therapy is a space where you can be yourself and feel safe from judgement, including feeling nervous. I’m committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.

I’m here if you want to talk about it during a free phone consultation.

Take your time to read through my website. If you sense that I may be a good fit based on what you are reading, you can email me.

During a free phone consultation, you can ask me questions about my approach, more about my training and education, or any other questions you may have that are specific-to-you. You’ll also be able to share what’s going on for you and we can determine how I could best be of service to you.

The first sessions are like an experiment to see how things go. During the sessions, you’ll be able to see how you feel working with me. My approach is not going to work for everyone. What’s most important to me is that you find someone who you feel is the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

It's natural to not want to share some of the painful or difficult things we've been through.. During our sessions, it will always be up to you if you feel ready to talk about something or not. It’s my job to give you space to slowly start to work through the tough stuff. Gradually and at a pace that feels comfortable to you, you can share what you feel ready to share

You can also share with me that you are nervous to open up about something and we can talk about that too. Whenever you have a lot of feelings about something, you are welcome to discuss them in session with me.

If you open up to me, I will not think you are too sensitive, I will think you are courageous and human. Many of my clients have had the same fear (that people would think they are too sensitive).

Working with my clients and my own life path has shown me that the challenges your are facing are normal and natural.

I believe you. Nothing you can say will cause me to judge you.

I know we all have our imperfections, we all struggle, we might be emotionally drained from the ups and downs.

Whatever it is you're going through, I provide a calming space where I respect you and listen with focus and compassion

You might already know that you want to share sensitive information about your loved ones with me and you don't want them to find out what you've said. So You should know that everything you share with me is confidential UNLESS you are suicidal/homicidal and in imminent risk of harming yourself or someone else, disclose that a youth under the age of 16 has been abused (or is suspected of being abused) physically, sexually, emotionally or if you report another social worker has been unethical. In those cases, I will have to report to appropriate authorities.

I highly respect your privacy and value your trust.

You can rest assured that you can talk about anything without fear of that information getting out.

If you have specific questions about how confidentiality works, you can ask during your during a free phone consultation or anytime during our work together.

You might be asking about how long therapy will take because you are currently struggling and want relief fast.

If this is true for you, I want you to know that on average, my new clients start seeing growth after the first four to six sessions.

By that point, they feel a little more calm and hopeful that healing is possible.

The total duration of therapy varies from client to client. Some of my clients find 6-12 weeks to be enough to gain insight into their relationship challenges. While other clients feel more supported by longer term therapy.

We will work together to find the length of time that works for you.

Overall, you can think of the first session as a free-flowing conversation through which we start getting to know each other. I’ll invite you to share more about yourself and we can also talk about what’s worked or not worked for your mental health in the past.

Some questions that I like to ask during a first session include:

What brought you to therapy?

What’s present for you in your life right now?

What do I need to know about you to understand your current challenges?

You can ask me questions as well. You might be curious about my experience or how future sessions work.

The most important part of a first session is that you see if you feel I’m a good fit for you. If you feel calm, heard, and cared for with me, we can discuss if you’d like to meet again.

I'm here to talk during a phone consultation where you can share what’s going on for you and we can determine how I could best be of service to you.

Email me today to get your free phone consultation at ashleeallencounselling@gmail.com.