Therapy Consultation
Short-term and solution focused therapy
Learn more about this different type of therapy and how it could help you
Everything’s changed and you’re at a stand still
It’s the week of your big presentation and you’re completely spinning. Anxiety, nausea, distracted constantly… there is no way this thing is going to go well! You’re not sure where to turn for support, and this feels past your family and friends capacity to help. Hopelessness sets in. You imagine failing - but that is absolutely not an option. Stuck, alone and anxious.
Or maybe you’ve come off the worst night of your life. Your most important relationship has just ended and the life you’ve imagined together is in shambles. Just taking care of your basic needs feels impossible – let alone knowing where to go from here and how to make sense of everything.
Perhaps you are new to the city or country, and feeling completely lost, emotionally and psychologically. Maybe you have some things that are decided however there is still so much unknown, and you aren’t sure where to start. Big new changes loom on the horizon and your courage to handle them all is faltering now that they are really here.
What is therapy consultation?
These types of things can be so scary. Feeling alone, anxious, stuck and without support. These are also the kinds of life-changing moments that everyone goes through. And I want to tell you – you don’t have to do it alone.
‘Consultation style’ therapy, or short term therapy is a set amount of sessions with a therapist to address a specific issue. Typically 1-3 sessions are recommended. I’ll support you with this difficult time or event, and then we say goodbye. At this point you might decide to pursue more long term therapy with me or another type of healing practitioner. I will provide support to you finding the next right steps, including deciding on the next type of support you’d like if that’s not me. The choice is up to you.
Issues I support for short
term therapy
What is short term therapy for? Short term or ‘Consultation style’ therapy can be for a broad range of issues and events – from the acute, stressful and life changing to the more everyday decisions or case of the ‘mehs’ you want support with or clarity around. Here are some examples, however there may be many types of life events that might be addressed by short term therapy sufficiently.
Fight or break up in a friendship or romantic relationship.
Considering school and/or a career in psychotherapy or counseling.
Difficult social situation, conversation or situation that you’re not sure how to handle alone.
Difficult issue in life - with friends, romantic relationships, family, work, etc.
Support through making a big life change - ending a relationship, changing jobs or careers, moving, etc.
New to the city, state or country and want support adjusting.
Culture shock or reverse culture shock.
Choosing the right therapist for you. How to know if you need therapy, what you might work on and how to conceptualize those issues.
On the precipice of a big change or big decision, for example graduation, school or career choices, death or a loved one or diagnosis of an illness.
Future-mindset mapping – Have some thoughts about future relationships, career or other life change you want to put into action, but need some support and accountability to actually make it happen.
Seeking support for gender-affirming care, or an ESA letter for a true emotional support animal.
Support with grief, loss and change in all it’s forms – death, illness, loss and ambiguous loss.
Sexual assault or rape and not knowing what to do next.
Most other difficult, intense, confusing or strange experiences you can think of.
How this works
Short term or consultation therapy gives you a place to start. In the chaos and drama that is life sometimes, we’ll all occasionally hit this place where we feel totally confused, alone and stressed. It’s my belief that you get to have good support in these times, and that you don’t have to push through alone.
The process of short term therapy is a bit different from long term therapy, where you might spend quite a bit of time in the relationship-building phase, and it takes time to understand what might help the most.
Short term therapy begins with filling out a form with some details about your situation, completing paperwork and scheduling a first session. Before our session I’ll prepare some clarifying questions and resources so we can use our time together efficiently. During our session, you have some choices. I find it helpful to know ahead of time if you’d like to be listened to, validated, given advice, or if any of these is ok. You can always change your answer based on how it’s feeling in the moment – in fact I prefer to know what’s working and not working for you in our time together! Once I understand more fully what’s happening, I’ll help you feel heard, and we’ll explore what’s important about this for you and what parts of you are impacted or really hurting. I’ll offer some support and validation here, and then we’ll talk about next steps and resources. We’ll decide how many short-term sessions we’ll do, and I may give you some homework for in-between sessions. I usually schedule these sessions with a week in-between. I do short-term therapy in-person and virtually. If we are in-person, we could be at my office in South Boulder or we could go outside to walk or sit – weather depending.
There’s also an opportunity here to get my initial impressions and intuitions on you, this event, and what it might mean in the context of your life. Perhaps there are roots in this thing that go quite far back into childhood that can bring insight to this event. Often it can take time to fully gain clarity on the difficult events and turning points in our lives and what they mean – getting intentional support in the moment can be catalyzing and insightful.
You deserve good support
Everyone has had the experience of a moment or event that is completely life changing, and not knowing where to go from there. Some people don’t have that friend or family member they can call – and some would prefer to speak to a professional who won’t judge them, who listens and will give an honest opinion. I believe that no matter who you are or what’s happened to you, you deserve support.
What if this is an opportunity?
Transition periods can be fruitful opportunities – full of difficulty but also full of life. Of course we never wish difficulty on anyone, however these things happen in the course of life whether we want them to or not. The difference between a completely stressful, difficult transition and one that feels meaningful, impactful and life changing in a good way, is the right kind of support at the right time. While I don’t have the power to make hard things go away, or change how you feel about things, I do know how to support people in an attuned, compassionate and effective way. Once the dust has settled, we might find the rewards of greater wisdom, self compassion or an insight that informs our next steps.
Is there anything short-term therapy isn’t helpful for?
Short term or consultation therapy isn’t a crisis resource. If you are having suicidal thoughts or thinking about hurting yourself or someone else, please use the below resources instead which will more directly meet your needs. If you are in immediate danger, dial 911 for emergencies and 988 for mental health emergencies. If, however, you typically experience some (low to medium intensity) suicidal thoughts but aren’t acutely in danger, do reach out and we ascertain if I can meet your needs in short term therapy.
Short term therapy also may not be helpful if you actually need long term therapy – for example if you are dealing with an acute trauma, personality disorder or another major mental health issue. However if you’d like we can determine together if short term therapy might be helpful, and I can point you in the right direction with resources.
Crisis resources
MHP (Mental Health Partners) - resource in Boulder. Crisis line at 303-447-1665. Walk-in Crisis Services: 3180 Airport Road, Boulder, CO 80301
Colorado Crisis Services, 24/7 Statewide Crisis Line: (844) 493-8255
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255), or Text TALK to 38255
Sexual Assault Hotline: 303-443-7300
Are you a Mandatory reporter?
As a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of CO, I am a Mandatory reporter for the state. Many professions are required to be mandatory reporters – from those in health care like nurses, doctors and PAs, but also veterinarians, dentists, teachers and librarians. This means that if you tell me something that indicates you are involved with child or elder abuse or neglect, or other risky and harmful situations, that I may need to make a report. If this happens, I’ll always attempt to let you know first.
How do I access short-term therapy and how much does it cost?
If you are interested in getting started with short term therapy and/or have more questions, please complete the Contact form and select ‘Short term or ‘Consultation therapy.’ I look forward to hearing from you and working on this thing together!
I charge $150 for a 35min session for short term therapy. Three sessions is $400 if you pay all together. There are a limited number of reduced fee slots available, if you have financial need please let me know and we can discuss options.
