My general rule of thumb is that if things seem askew in your life—if you’re experiencing difficulties or interferences in relationships, work or you just don’t feel like yourself, therapy may be warranted.

Once you’ve verified a therapist’s credentials, the next step is to determine whether or not he/she is a good fit for you. I believe that if the fit is right, you will intrinsically know. You’ll get a clear sense that he/she “gets” you — you’ll feel a connection with him/her—your personalities will seem to “click.”

Keeping my services out of the insurance loop has been a very conscious decision for me. There are several reasons I’ve made this choice.

First there has been some suggestion that involvement by insurance companies can be damaging to therapeutic outcomes due to the conditions they can place on therapy. Secondly, because I believe that maintaining your confidentiality is crucial to your therapeutic progress, I am not comfortable divulging the information these companies require for coverage (i.e. your diagnosis). Finally, once a diagnosis has been submitted to an insurance provider, there is the potential that it may be used to determine future exclusions for pre-existing conditions should you ever need to change insurance coverage

The length of one’s therapy can vary. Sometimes a few sessions are enough to make you feel better. Other times, long-term therapy is warranted when issues are more deep-seated.