Your first few psychotherapy sessions will involve an evaluation of goals and needs. Your therapist will ask you what brought you into therapy and what you hope to accomplish. An initial evaluation typically gathers information about any symptoms, history/background, family/relationships and other relevant details. Whether you are seeking individual, couples, or family therapy, your therapist will be able to offer you some first impressions of what your work will include and a treatment plan to follow at your first session.

Please share your opinions of the proposed treatment plan along with your thoughts of whether you feel comfortable working with your therapist. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so it’s important to carefully and thoughtfully select the best therapist for you.

Yes! Our therapists are highly trained and are experts at what they do. Our priority is to be of service to you and our ratings/testimonials consistently reflect patient satisfaction.

Numerous research findings show that therapy is very effective in reducing psychological distress. In fact, studies show that 80% of people who seek treatment find it helpful.

Licensure laws are intended to protect the public by limiting licensure to those persons qualified to practice psychology as defined by law. The state of Florida permits basically five types of mental health clinicians to become licensed and provide services to the public. Below are some basic descriptions of the various disciplines.

Licensed Psychologist (PhD & PsyD): Psychologists are experts in the areas of human behavior, psychological assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. They employ empirically validated interventions to help patients adaptively change their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. A psychologist is a doctoral-level, licensed mental health clinician.

Licensed Psychiatrist: Psychiatrists are commonly confused with psychologists. A psychiatrist attends medical school then branches off into the specialization of psychiatry. Psychiatrists hold a M.D. or D.O. with prescription writing privileges. Psychiatrists have limited training in psychotherapy and psychological assessment.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT): A LMFT is a therapist with a Master’s or Doctoral Degree in family/marital counseling and specializes in serving persons seeking assistance with interpersonal relationships.

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC): A LMHC is a counselor with a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling or a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and has received training in counseling and psychotherapy techniques.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW): A LCSW is a counselor with a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work.  The social work framework is holistic taking into account not only the individual’s psychological makeup, but also societal and environmental factors that can impact mental health.

Non-licensed counselors:

Life Coach: Life coaching is a practice that helps people identify and achieve personal goals. At this time, Life Coaching is not a regulated practice meaning there are no education and training requirements or oversight by any licensure board. A life coach may have a graduate degree in mental health and a certification in life coaching.