Crystal Stone

LMSW

Diversity of options available for treatment. Yes, this may make it more difficult in the beginning to choose, especially if you don't know what you're looking for. However, given the many different mental health needs that exist and the uniqueness of the individual, it's great to have so many available modalities to choose from.

I naturally have an inclination to look at 1. The big picture- so, a systems approach- how do all the pieces fit together to contribute to the imbalance? 2. Sense of humor- Irreverence, light heartedness, shared laughter spontaneously occur and are typically a terrific sign of healing and growth 3. Down to earth, practical, heart felt connection. We're people first, no matter the names, education, or status. We are equals in our humanity.

Pleasantries and greetings... If you've never had therapy before, I like to talk about how therapy works, what you can expect from therapy and me, how to make therapy work for you, setting therapy goals, a little about me as a therapist (style, therapies I do). Of course, you can ask any questions along the way. I encourage clients to interview their therapists up front (or even before the first session) to see if they are a good fit. Otherwise, the first session is spent mostly getting to know you, what brings you to therapy and other factors about yourself (employed? in school? have a significant other? medical issues? etc...) as well as your mental health concerns (symptoms? contributing factors? supports? treatments attempted? successes?). There are more questions, but you get the idea. Usually that brings us to the end of the 1st session. If we have time, I will give you some initial feedback and support, diagnosis and recommendations for treatment. I may also give you resources to explore or a specific intervention to implement. At that point, we decide if we want to schedule a next session or if you want to wait a bit. If applicable, I may encourage you to seek a specialist (for example, a marriage counselor) for a service I cannot provide. In the first session, it's important to me that you feel comfortable, welcome, safe and that I'm listening and understanding you and your concerns.