What To Expect
Getting to the appointment
My office is located at 1605 W. Church St. in west Champaign. Follow Church Street, a one-way street, west from Prospect Avenue. The office is in a two-story, blue house on the left (south) side of the street. If you reach Mattis Avenue, you have gone too far.
Parking
There is plenty of free parking on both sides of Church Street. The only place where parking is not allowed is directly in front of the home office, on the south side of the street, because of a fire hydrant there. Signs mark the no parking zone so it is easy to identify. Also, please do not park in the driveway. On heavy snow days, be sure to park on a side street because Church Street is considered a Snow Route.
When You Arrive
When you arrive at the home office, ring the doorbell and then walk in. I may be in a session, but if you ring the doorbell, that tells me you have arrived. Because the office is in a home, many people feel awkward on the first visit ringing the doorbell and entering. But since I am often in a session with a client or on the phone, it helps if you walk in on your own.
After walking in, take a seat anywhere in the living room area, where there is a couch. Feel free to read any of the magazines and newspapers on the end tables. There are also children’s books beneath one of the end tables. One of the advantages of a home office is that a house setting fosters a warm, welcoming environment, so make yourself comfortable and I will be with you as soon as I complete the preceding session. Note that there are two sound machines to give you privacy.
Paperwork
I ask clients to come to their first session 15 minutes ahead of time so they can fill out the following five forms:
A check-off list of symptoms that you might be currently experiencing, such as depression or anxiety
A consent-for-treatment form (which needs to be signed)
A notice of privacy of information form (which also needs to be signed)
An insurance form, for those who opt to pay with insurance
The First Appointment
Our sessions will take place in my home office, which has two sound machines to ensure complete privacy.
The first session is an opportunity for you to get to know me and get a feel for how I work and how we relate to each other. In addition, I will gather basic information about why you have to come to therapy and the issues on which you would like to work.
During the first two sessions, I also typically try to get a good understanding of your general psychological symptoms and learn about your history. For example, we will talk about how you grew up, your family dynamics, and significant and traumatic events.
With this information, we can then set treatment goals. It is essential that we both have a clear understanding of what it is you want to accomplish during our journey together.My aim is to help you build the skills that you can take with you when the therapy comes to an end. I want clients to leave therapy knowing that they have acquired the knowledge and ability, within themselves, to deal with the issues that brought them to me. Be setting clear goals together, we can make this happen.