How Many Sessions Will it Take to Help My Relationship?
I am often asked how long I expect therapy to last. The answer depends on what your specific issues are and your willingness to discover new ways of understanding yourself, your partner and learning to relate in new ways. Some clients come for a few sessions to tune up their relationship skills while others come for a longer period of time to work through more deeply entrenched problems.
Please be aware that if there is any sort of trauma in the relationship the work needs to move more slowly. Trauma can be from the past or something that has just occurred to upset the sense of connectedness in a relationship. Either way it can be a silent trigger that starts a couple off on a negative pattern.
What If I Am In a Relationship and My Partner Won’t Attend Counseling Sessions?
I often counsel individuals who have a partner who will not attend therapy. I will help you to look at the entire pattern that the couple is caught in and to focus on the part of the cycle you have power over. We cannot change your partner but because relationships are feedback loops we know that changing your part of the dance will spark change in your partner. I have helped many people to be happily surprised to discover that working on their part of the cycle changes the dynamics in their relationships and opens up the way to have the kind of relationship that they yearn for.
How Long are Sessions?
Individual Counseling and Couples Therapy sessions are 55-minutes. Family Counseling sessions run for 3 hours with breaks to give everyone a chance to stretch and clear their heads.
I will sometimes suggest that we extend Couples Counseling sessions to 90-minutes in order to work more deeply and make more progress in our work together. Longer sessions can be necessary if there has been a difficult incident (ie. affairs or pornography) that needs more time to understand and work through. Not every couple can tolerate working for such a long time; it is best for us to discuss whether or not a 90-minutes is right for your circumstance.
It is advisable to come in weekly in the beginning of our work together so that we can build up some momentum and stop the backwards slide that can sometimes happen between sessions. As trust and connection build it is possible to explore coming in less often without slowing the progress that has been made in our sessions.
What Does the First Session of Therapy Like?
Prior to coming in for your first session you will receive an email with a link to my Client Portal. There you will be able to fill out a Client Intake Form and if you are coming in for Couple’s Counseling, a Couples Questionnaire. Please fill these forms out through the Client Portal as it will keep your information secure. Whatever the type of therapy you are seeking, the first session will begin with my reviewing an Information and Consent Form that covers Practice Policies as well as Confidentiality and exceptions to Confidentiality.
In our first session I ask each person to tell me why they are coming for counseling and what the goals are for our work together. We will begin to explore the patterns that have created the situation that is causing unhappiness and disconnection and I will begin to understand the dynamic between partners that plays out at home and in my office. It generally takes several sessions before there is a rhythm to our work and we can work together in a safe and structured environment.
What are the Fees for Your Services?
Fees will be discussed in our initial phone consultation. Payment is due at each session and can be made by check, cash or credit card.
Do You Take Insurance to Help Cover the Cost of Therapy?
I am not currently on any insurance panels so your insurance company will consider me “out-of-network”. I will supply you with a statement that contains all of the appropriate codes necessary for your claim to be paid by your insurance company. Please check with your insurance provider to see what is covered under your mental health benefits for individual or family therapy. Please note: Insurance companies do not cover couples therapy but will cover family therapy (even if it is for a couple).
Call me at 650 289-9972 or email me at Catherine@catherine-morris.com for a brief consultation to learn about how I can help you to have the kind of relationships that you have always wanted.