Frequently Asked Questions

Obviously, our support systems are there for us but sometimes it is helpful to have a neutral party in a confidential setting. I always tell those new to therapy: "I don't know you, and you don't know me so why would I judge you?" Therapists are mental health professionals who can help you set goals, learn new skills, see yourself and your situation in a new light, and find new perspectives.  

In short, everything you say in therapy is confidential. Exceptions include: 

• Threat of harm: if a client is a danger to themselves or others, such as by threatening suicide or assault
• Abuse: If the client is abusing/neglecting children or vulnerable adults
• Billing: If using insurance, claims submitted will include PHI.
• Legal: certain court orders for information may include PHI.
• Continuity of care: With your permission (signed release), info may be shared with outside providers in order to provide quality care.

The first session is an intake where we will discuss your reasons for seeking therapy, your background, your potential goals, and get to know each other. 

Subsequent sessions are aimed at helping you reach those goals. I always tell clients: don't be afraid of not knowing where to start/what to say. Things I usually say/do at the beginning of a follow up session:

1. General check in--updates, how things have gone since last session, etc.
2. Is there anything you want to prioritize talking about today? 

The session itself will differ from there depending on modality being utilized and each session can vary. At the end of the session, I will check in again about our work that day and make sure we are on the same page as a team.

Most sessions, I will provide "homework" (people hate that word, but it's what it is) or at least some resources/something tangible. At the end of the day, we can have great sessions where we accomplish a lot, but if you don't take the time to do the "work" outside of session (whatever that looks like), we can only go so far: "you get what you give."

Religious trauma is "the physical, emotional, or psychological response to religious beliefs, practices, or structures that is experienced by an individual as overwhelming or disruptive and has lasting adverse effects on a person’s physical, mental, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being." source: The Religious Trauma Institute

Religious Trauma syndrome (RTS) is not a diagnosis in the DSM-5, but it is listed under "Other Conditions that May be a Focus of Clinical Attention." RTS "is the condition experienced by people who are struggling with leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with the damage of indoctrination. They may be going through the shattering of a personally meaningful faith and/or breaking away and deconstructing from a controlling community and lifestyle." source: Marlene Winell

Symptoms include:

• Cognitive: Confusion, poor critical thinking ability, negative beliefs about self-ability & self-worth, black & white thinking, perfectionism, difficulty with decision-making

• Emotional: Depression, anxiety, anger, grief, loneliness, difficulty with pleasure, loss of meaning

• Social: Loss of social network, family rupture, social awkwardness, sexual difficulty, behind schedule on developmental tasks

• Cultural: Unfamiliarity with secular world; “fish out of water” feelings, difficulty belonging, information gaps (e.g. evolution, modern art, music)

You can learn more about it here

"As many as 1-in-3 adults in the United States have suffered from Religious Trauma at some point in their life, and as many as 1-in-5 currently suffer from multiple debilitating Religious Trauma symptoms on a daily basis."

source: The Global Center for Religious Research

"Faith-Based Distress Can Look Like...

❧ Deep or chronic shame about being a sinner and not living up to expectations

❧ Feelings of unworthiness, being unlovable, or bad in some way

❧ Fear of rejection by God or the faith community including being publicly shamed, ostracized, guilt-tripped and demonized for any minor infraction

❧ Lack of self-compassion

❧ Lack of personal autonomy - an ingrained belief that one's life is for God's sole purpose, leading to challenges making decisions, creating personal boundaries and providing intentional consent

❧ Feeling that they can't trust themselves, their body or their emotions

❧ A Fixation on Purity Culture where individuals experience shame, guilt, and anxiety surrounding their sexuality, and feel pressured to conform to strict moral standards of abstinence and modesty.

❧ Growing up with chronic fear or anxiety around salvation, rapture, Hell, Satan, or demons

❧ Feeling personally responsible for Christ's death

❧ Superstitious beliefs about what will lead to positive and negative outcomes in life

❧ Perfectionism or hypervigilance - fear of making mistakes

❧ Extreme dualistic thinking - judging every individual thought and action as "good" or "bad"

❧ Spiritual bypassing - denying the presence and validity of mental health issues due to a belief that those feelings come from Satan or a lack of faith and if they just pray hard enough then God will take it away

❧ Difficulty with experiencing pleasure

❧ Feeling bad or wrong for having sexual thoughts or feelings, or having physical reactions to sexual situations such as crying or feeling a disconnection from the body

❧ Denying one's sexuality or gender identity

❧ Marginalizing or stigmatizing the LGBTQ+ community

❧ Lasting trauma from conversion therapy

❧ Religiously-based OCD, scrupulosity, or superstitious habits"

source: The Global Center for Religious Research

Feel free to drop us a line and we will get back to you within 48 hours. We offer a free 15 minute consultation to see if we are a good fit.