Getting Started

You’ve made it here, which means some part of you is ready for something different. And if you’re considering me as your guide through that, here’s the good news: it’s your journey. We go at your speed, and you’re always the one holding the map.

Starting therapy can feel like a big, uncertain step, especially if you’ve never done it before, or if a past experience didn’t feel like the right fit. So here’s exactly what getting started with me actually looks like, no mystery, no pressure.

How to Start Therapy in Westfield, NJ

Step 1: Reach out. Call, text, or email me. That’s it, this is often the hardest part, and you’ve basically already done it just by reading this far.

Step 2: We have a short conversation. We’ll talk for about 15 to 20 minutes about what’s bringing you to therapy right now and what you’re hoping will feel different. There’s no pressure to have it all figured out or explained perfectly. I’ll ask a few simple questions to get a sense of what you’re looking for.

Step 3: We determine if we are a good fit. This conversation helps us both figure out if I’m the right therapist for what you’re working through. If I’m not the best match for your specific needs, I’ll do my best to point you toward someone who is.

Step 4: We schedule your first appointment. Once we know we’re a good fit, we’ll find a time that works for you, whether that’s in-person at my Westfield office or online through secure teletherapy, and get you on the calendar.

What to Expect in Your First Session

Your first session is really just an in-depth version of that first conversation. We’ll talk through some background, what’s been going on, what you’ve already tried, what you’re hoping therapy can help with, and start getting a clearer picture of where to begin. There’s no test to study for and nothing you need to prepare. You already know everything we’ll be talking about.

Common Questions About Getting Started

Do I need to know exactly what I want to work on before I reach out? Not at all. Many people start therapy without a clear, tidy explanation of what’s wrong, they just know something isn’t working. That’s a completely valid place to start from.

What if I’ve never done therapy before? That’s true for a lot of people who reach out to me. Feeling nervous or unsure about what to expect is normal, and we’ll go at whatever pace feels comfortable for you.

Can I do sessions online instead of in person? Yes. I offer secure teletherapy sessions in addition to in-person appointments at my Westfield office, so you can choose whatever fits your life better.

How do I know if you’re the right therapist for me? That’s exactly what our initial conversation is for. I work with anxiety, infertility, grief and loss, and relationship difficulties, and that first chat helps us both figure out if it’s a good fit before you commit to anything.

Let’s Talk

You’re one conversation away from setting up your initial assessment. Call, text, or email me, and we’ll get you started toward a life that feels less like something you’re just getting through.

Note: I added FAQ content and expanded step-by-step detail, both of which help this page rank for common “how to start therapy” and “what to expect in first therapy session” searches, while also addressing the hesitation a nervous first-time visitor is likely feeling. I also linked to your Teletherapy, Anxiety, Grief and Loss, and Couples Therapy pages, since this page previously had zero internal links.

FAQ Schema Markup (for Google’s expandable FAQ snippet)

Add this JSON-LD script to the page (in Divi, you can paste this into a Code module placed anywhere on the page, it doesn’t need to be visible, just present in the page’s HTML). This helps Google understand your FAQ content and can make it eligible to show as an expandable snippet directly in search results.

A few notes on using this:

• The visible FAQ text on the page and the schema text should match closely (they do here), Google penalizes markup that doesn’t reflect the actual visible content.
• This doesn’t guarantee the rich snippet will appear; Google decides that automatically. But it makes the page eligible, which it isn’t without the markup.
• If your Divi/WordPress setup uses an SEO plugin like Yoast or Rank Math, some of these also have a built-in FAQ block that generates this schema for you automatically. That may be easier than a manual Code module if you’d rather not touch raw HTML.