Frequently Asked Questions
HOW LONG IS EACH COUNSELLING SESSION AND HOW MANY SESSIONS WILL I NEED TO RESOLVE MY CONCERNS?
I offer 60 minute therapy sessions as my standard because I have found this timing to be more effective and comfortable way to work. I also offer 75 and 90 minute sessions for clients who prefer to have more time. Another format I offer is EMDR Intensive sessions which can be tailored to your needs but are typically 2 to 3 hour sessions. Over many years in practice I have found that longer sessions can help us focus and often reduces the overall number of sessions required to process through challenges.
Depending on your goals and issues that you are seeking help with you may only require a few sessions to work through a current problem arising in your life. EMDR trauma processing sessions are typically 75 to 90 minutes to allow sufficient time for processing. EMDR Intensive sessions may be scheduled more than once in a day or multiple times in one week.
To give you a sense of the time required, recent onset sleeping difficulties, recent loss, situational panic attacks, phobias and life transitions may benefit from just 4 to 6 sessions. In other cases, to resolve more complex concerns such as early childhood trauma or neglect, generalized anxiety, chronic pain, anxiety or depression may require longer term therapy. Therapy often starts weekly and shifts to less frequent as time goes on.
In our initial session we will discuss your most pressing concerns and goals and develop a plan to help you benefit from our work together.
DO YOU SPECIALIZE IN SPECIFIC THERAPY TECHNIQUES?
I am a passionate life-long learner and strive to provide the very best care for the people who entrust their time in counselling with me. I have specialized training and experience with a variety of modalities to specifically address the effects of traumatic experiences. I conduct my assessments with sensitivity to what will best serve each individual. Specialized techniques that I have training and experience in include:
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) for post-traumatic stress, PTSD, and other distressing experiences, phobias, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
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Advanced training in Attachment-Focused EMDR with the Parnell Institute