How is therapy different from talking to friends or family?

Counseling differs from talking to a friend in its professional expertise, objectivity, confidentiality, and structured approach. Counselors are trained to provide evidence-based guidance, maintain strict confidentiality, and offer specialized techniques for personal growth and mental health challenges. They are neutral third parties, free from personal biases, and focused solely on your well-being during sessions. Friends, while supportive, may lack the same expertise, objectivity, and confidentiality, and their advice can be influenced by personal experiences and emotions. Counseling offers a more specialized, structured, and confidential space for addressing complex issues and personal growth.

What should I expect in my first session?

People come to therapy for all sorts of reasons. Some come to counseling to heal from experiences in their past, or to address a current issue. Others come due to anxiety, depression, or grief. Because of this, counseling can look different for each client.

Despite the initial reason for coming in, there are a few consistent things you can expect.

1) The first session is focused on getting to know you and what brings you in. It is really the opportunity to set the stage for your counseling session and begin building a relationship with your therapist.

2) Prepare for your sessions by coming in with an idea of what you want to focus on. During a session you may find we wander off to other areas that need attention, but it can be helpful to have an idea of where you want to start.

3) Arrive on time. Because sessions last 45 minutes, it is important you arrive a little bit early so that sessions can start on time and you get all the time with your therapist that you need! Please wait in the waiting area for your appointment

Do you take insurance?

We are not contracted with insurance companies, though you may be eligible for reimbursed by your insurance company, depending on your particular plan! We can provide documentation for you to submit to your insurance provider, but cannot guarantee reimbursement.

ECG is not contracted with insurance companies for several reasons. One reason being this allows greater freedom, rather than working within the confines dictated by third-party payers. This ensures that you are offered the best quality service possible.

We accept all major credit cards and FSA/HSA cards as forms of payment.

What approach do you use?

We use an eclectic approach that allows us to pull from all the best therapy approaches. Therefore, therapy will look different for each client, but will likely include some of the following:

1) Family History: Learn your family's unspoken rules, patterns of communication and conflict, hidden legacies, and understand the role you and other members were cast in. To understand yourself and your behavior, you must first understand the context from which you came.

2) Mindful Awareness & Emotional Insight: Learn to look beneath surface emotions to identify the often unconscious emotions lying beneath. You may learn basic mindfulness tools to bring calm and clarity to otherwise overwhelming moments. Learn to become proactive, vs reactive.

3) Schema Identification: Schemas are the glasses or lenses through which we see ourselves and the world. These lenses color our perception and often skew the information we take in, resulting in maladaptive and self defeating patterns in our lives.

4) Healthy Habits: Incorporate healthy habits that can transform your mental health, such as quality sleep, nutritious eating, consistent physical movement, social support, and fulfilling work.

5) Verbal Processing: Counseling is called “Talk Therapy” for a reason! Verbal processing and storytelling is a crucial part of understanding ourselves and gaining power over our lives. Good therapy requires “dual attunement”, meaning you won’t just talk about things, by processing your experience in a grounded way and in a safe, non-judgmental, and supportive space.

6) Relationship Patterns, Boundaries, and Communication Skills: Learn your unique negative patterns of interaction, and how to get out of them! Learn to communicate your boundaries, while building healthy relationships, and caring for yourself.

7) Inner Child Work: Get to know the little kid within. Often this younger part of ourselves carries our heaviest burdens. Therapy will likely include identifying these burdens and healing old wounds.

8) Trauma Recovery: We use a 3 Phase trauma recovery model which focuses on stabilization and helping the client regain a sense of safety, personal power, and regained sense of self.

If you are more familiar with therapy theories, we use a mixture of the following: Emotion Focused Therapy, Structural Family Systems, Internal Family Systems, Rogerian Therapy, Schema Therapy, Mindfulness based therapy, and are highly influenced by Carl Rogers, John Gottman, Richard Schwartz, Sue Johnson, Gabor Mate, Pat Ogden, Dan Siegel, Stephen Porges, and Irvin Yalom <3 .

I need FMLA or similar documentation?

We do not offer this service and recommend asking your doctor for these.