Frequently Asked Questions: What should I expect during the first session? Are you going to make me rehash my childhood? Most likely, no. I will need to find out about your upbringing in our initial sessions to help me understand where you are coming from but I believe it is important to focus on the present and future goals. If we discover along the way that there is an issue from the past that needs addressing, we will talk about it but that will most likely not be the focus of our time together.
What is counseling?
Counseling is a relationship between a trained professional and an individual with the purpose of helping the patient through a current problem. The process involves the two individuals sitting in a room (not lying on a couch!) and is very much like a conversation you would have with an acquaintance.
You will have made contact with me prior to the appointment via telephone or email and I will know a little bit about why you are coming to see me. I will informally ask you a list of questions to find out about your background, current issues, and goals for therapy. This is a time for the two of us to get to know one another. You may ask me questions about the counseling process and about my background. Because counseling is a process, you should not expect instant solutions in the first meeting. Therapy is about finding long-term solutions rather than quick fixes.
Will you keep everything I say a secret?
I will treat what you tell me with great care and concern. My professional ethics prohibit me from telling anyone anything you say without written permission. There are a few exceptions to this (if I believe that you or another individual is in danger) but we will discuss those in person.
How many sessions will I have to attend?
The length of therapy varies depending on the nature of the issue at hand. Some clients are able to work through their concern in several sessions and others will need longer term, more intense therapy. I will continue to let you know of the progress I believe we’re making along the way. It is my belief that therapy is not supposed to continue forever, but that the goal is to enable you to develop your own support system outside of the therapeutic setting.
Do you offer sessions on the weekends or evenings?
I do not offer sessions on the weekends however I can see clients up until
What if I have an emergency and need to reach you? If it is a true, life-threatening emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. You may try to call me on my cell phone if you are having an emergency between the hours of
Allison Gordon Chapple, MS, EdS, LPC, NCC
Allison@allisonchapple.com