Family therapy occurs when two or more family members come together to make a change in their relationship. They learn to communicate more effectively, heal past hurts and help their relationship grow to a healthier level.

When I see a child in therapy, I always include one or both parents. During the initial session, I hear what both adult and child have to say, their opinions of why they are in therapy, and what each hopes to gain by coming to counseling. During subsequent sessions, I meet with both parent and child for the first 10 minutes, work individually with the child for approximately 30 minutes, then consult one-on-one with the parent for the remainder of the time.

Relationships take work and both parties are expected to give 100 percent. Sometimes, other responsiblities get in the way--career, school, children, in-laws--and pretty soon you realize thatyou are putting in far less than 100 percent. It is usually at this time that a couple seeks therapy.

During the initial 90-minute session, I meet with the couple to get an idea of what their goals for therapy are and how we, as a team, plan to achieve that goal. I also like to find out what has or hasn't worked in the past in order to help the couple develop new ways of building their relationship.

Subsequent sessions range from 50 to 90 minutes in length, depending on the course of action we decide to take. If appropriate, I will use PREPARE-ENRICH,  a program based on a set of five inventories that examine major relationship issues a couple may experience. For more information, please visit their website at www.prepare-enrich.com.

First, please inquire about insurance when scheduling your initial session. Your financial responsibility will be the co-payment, usually listed on your card next to "specialist." If I am not a provider for your insurance, please ask you insurance company if you qualify for out-of-network benefits.

Your financial responsibility is the full session fee and I can provide you with the paperwork required for you to be reimbursed by your insurance company.

In order to be reimbursed, I have to assign a mental health diagnosis to you. Please be aware that it usually takes between 6 and 8 sessions to identify an accurate diagnosis. Therefore, I will not be able to provide you with completed paperwork until then.

It's my ethical and moral responsibility to let you know there are some risks to using insurance, though that does not necessarily mean you will be affected by them. First is compromised confidentiality. When you use insurance, the insurance company may have access to your records, including treatment plan, assessments and progress notes. Second, because I have to assign a diagnosis in order to bill for services, this diagnosis could hinder your ability to obtain life insurance, disability insurance and/or benefits, a weapons permit or a professional license. I don't write these things to scare you, but to help improve your awareness as you consider entering therapy.