In my experience, the following questions come up often, so I’m offering my answers to give you a better sense of what to expect from seeing me.
Q. Do I need a doctor’s referral to come see you?
A. No. The only time you might need one is if it’s required by your extended healthcare provider, but it is not required by me.
Q. Do I have to commit to long-term treatment?
A. I do both short-term and long-term treatment. Of course, long-term treatment has more extensive goals and more extensive rewards, but only you know your time and financial resources. It’s a discussion we can have in the office, and it’s a decision that doesn’t have to be set in cement.
Q. How old do I have to be to see you? And would I be put in a group?
A. I work with individuals one-on-one, both adolescents and adults. For more about whether seeing me would be suitable for you, please see the Is Therapy For You? page.
Q. What are the advantages of seeing a registered psychologist?
When you see a registered psychologist, you can be assured that they’ve met the qualifying standards of the College of Psychologists of BC in terms of experience, training and education. Only those who meet all these standards are allowed to call themselves Registered Psychologists. Click here for more details on Registered Psychologists.
Q. What do you do in treatment, and what don’t you do?
I don’t give you homework or exercises, or offer very much advice.
These things can all be helpful, but I find that your time together can be better spent if we look at how you think, not how an author or a speaker thinks.
What I do offer you is the opportunity to examine your life in the confines of a confidential, private, professional relationship. I will offer the best comments I can to help you better understand yourself. I don’t offer you a chance to change as much as I offer you a chance to grow. My goal is to help you better the quality of your life and the lives of people around you. If you think I can be of help to you in that regard, I’d be happy to do so. Please feel free to contact me by phone, or through my website contact form.