Helpful Information: Therapy Counseling and Psychotherapy

Helpful Information for Your First Visit

Welcome! I look forward to beginning our work together.

On this page, you will find important information you will need for your first visit regarding:

Forms
What to do when you arrive
What happens during the first visit
Parking information

Forms:
Please complete the following forms and bring them to your first therapy session.

The documents below are in PDF format for you to print and complete. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, there is a link below where you can click to download that program for free.

For a child (under 18 years old), please print, complete and bring to your first session:

For adults, please print, complete and bring to your first session:

If you would like to use a credit card to pay for your sessions, please print and fill out the credit card authorization form.

Credit Card Authorization Form

If you would like me to coordinate care with another provider (for example, your child's school or teacher, your psychiatrist, primary care physician, etc.), complete this form to authorize release of psychotherapy information:

Authorization to Release Information Form

Note: To download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free, click here.

What to do when you arrive:

At your first appointment, I will do my best to greet you outside so that you do not feel lost about where to go.  Often, my appointments are back to back so I will be waiting outside promptly at your appointment time as I am not always able to make it outside early.

To help you know what you are looking for on Sepulveda, here are some photos of the outside of the building. Illusions Spa is just downstairs from my office. It is the building between the UCLA building and the shopping complex that houses Grow the Produce Shop and Manhattan Bagel.

My office is on the second story in the part of the complex that is closest to Sepulveda. So, you can just go up the stairs

And take a seat in the waiting room while you wait for your appointment time

I am also including some photos of my office to help you know what to expect once you are here meeting with me

.

During the First Visit:

First, I will ask you to fill out the necessary paperwork to begin treatment. This will take about 5-10 minutes if you have not completed the forms before you arrive. I will go over limits of confidentiality and consent for treatment and answer any questions you have.

Following that, I will give you the space to talk about what brings you to therapy. While you are talking, I may take some notes as there is a lot of important information discussed and I don't want to lose any of the details. I may ask some questions as it is important for me to make sure I understand.

At the end of the session, I will take the last couple of minutes to check in with you about your experience of the first session so that you can have a chance to begin to reflect on what it is like for you to be in therapy and whether I am the right person to help you.

It is important to understand that it will take some time for there to be trust in the therapeutic relationship (that is the relationship between you and I), for me to get a sense of you and understand the context of what is bringing you or your family to treatment. I understand that people frequently come to see me when they are in distress and are looking for relief and some answers. It is important for you to know that relief may take some time and that the initial part of therapy is really about getting to know each other and how I can best support you.

Parking:

There is free parking in the building complex. When you drive in the driveway, you will see parking spaces.