Gisella Tavarez

LMHC, LPC

The first session is really about getting to know each other. The most important thing I want to establish isn't your history or your symptoms- it's whether we're a good fit. Do you feel comfortable? Can you imagine opening up to me? Does this feel like a space you'd actually want to come back to? I've been in this field long enough to know that sometimes the fit just isn't right, and that's okay. I would never want someone to feel forced to work with me, that wouldn't be genuine for either of us. If I'm not the right person, I can help you find someone who is. There will be questions- a first session always involves some of that, but I've learned how to ask them in a way that feels more like a conversation than a questionnaire. My goal is to get to know you as a person, not as a presenting problem or a list of symptoms. That includes understanding how you communicate, what you need, and how we can make this work best for you specifically. And if you're nervous? That's completely normal. Whether it's your first time in therapy, it's been a while, or you're just not used to talking to someone new about the things that brought you here, nerves make sense. We'll go at your pace.

Goal-setting starts early, but it's really just an extension of getting to know each other. Sometimes people come in knowing exactly what they want to work on. Sometimes they think they know, and once we get going, patterns and themes start emerging that point us somewhere deeper or different. Both of those are completely normal. We'll establish goals based on what you feel you need, with the understanding that those goals can shift whenever life calls for it. Maybe something happens and what felt secondary suddenly becomes the most pressing thing in the room. That's not a setback, that's just how healing actually unfolds. I'll never impose a direction on you. You are a vital part of your own treatment, not a passenger in it. What I will do is help you take what you want to work on and build a path toward it that feels realistic and sustainable- not overwhelming, not rigid, just workable.

Success looks different for everyone, and I mean that genuinely. For one client, success might be setting a boundary with a family member- although that may look like not a big deal to an outsider who doesn't understand the dynamics involved. For another, it might be finally getting through the pile of mail that's been sitting unopened for three months- even though that same person manages a team of people at work without breaking a sweat. For someone else, it might be picking up writing again after years of being estranged from the pen. Whether it's finishing a difficult course, getting a promotion, or checking one thing off a list you've been avoiding; I will be there to notice it, name it, and celebrate it with you. Because sometimes the person in the room who most needs to hear "that was actually really hard and you did it" is you. Progress in therapy isn't always loud. But it's always worth noting.