If you have come this far, then you probably really do need this kind of help. Whatever choice you make, I hope you will pursue finding the right therapist for you and get the help you need to reclaim your life. -Warmly, Lillian
I imagine you reading this on your phone or laptop. It is the end of a workday and you are listening to a true-crime podcast or watching apple product reviews on YouTube. But, maybe you are too busy brokering a peace treaty between your two kids to indulge in your hobbies right now. Either way, you are doing what you do, and while you’re doing it, you’re also thinking about this thing you are struggling with.
Maybe it doesn’t bother you so much while you are binge-watching your favorite TV show from the 90s on Netflix, but it’s there. It is getting in the way of what you really want to do. It’s keeping you from making the choices you want to make. Your life is being dictated by anxiety, trauma, feeling overwhelmed, your struggles with binge eating, or something else. You’ve been thinking about getting help for a while. Today you’ve decided to do some googling and try to find a therapist.
Who Is Lillian?
If you have landed here, then you are probably wondering who I am, if I can really help you, and if you would feel comfortable working with me. That’s what I would want to know.
Personally? I love nature. When I need to take a break and just do what I want to do, connecting with the outdoors is usually part of it. I love to go for a walk in a park or wooded area and just take it all in, look at the different trees and their foliage, listen to the birds and squirrels, and see what kind of wildlife I can spot. I also love creative writing, singer/songwriters, acoustic guitars, and stand-up comedy.
Aside from that, I am a somewhat introverted person who loves to spend time with those she is close to. I am curious, empathetic, straightforward, funny, and encouraging.
Can You Really Help Me?
I think the best way to answer this one is to say, I have helped others like you. I have spent my time over the past 11+ years honing my skills so that I can help people who have different types of anxiety and trauma. I have worked with so many patients in that time and watched them get better. I love that moment when we are in a session 6 months or so down the road and we can both see how far you have come. My patients are often surprised at the big difference this investment has made in their lives.
That’s the moment that I live for in my work. Because that is so important to me, I only use “evidence-based” therapy in my work. That is, I only use strategies that have been proven to get results. My goal is to work myself out of a job with you, and then go on to help the next person who needs my help.
Will I Feel Comfortable Working With You?
This question is tough to answer because really, you are the one who decides this. What I can say, is that I do everything I can to help you feel comfortable. I have great respect for how tough it is to meet with someone you don’t know and talk about deeply personal things in order to get the help you need. To help ease some of the discomfort and uncertainty, I will share a little about what to expect.
Our first meeting is an assessment. That means I’ll be asking you a standard set of questions that I ask everyone to determine what your needs are and how I can best help you. This takes about an hour. For you guys who have a trauma history, I will not ask you to tell the story of your trauma during this meeting.
During the assessment, I will ask you if you have a history of trauma, yes or no. Then I will ask for a 2-3 word phrase that tells me what kind of trauma. That’s it! The only other questions I’ll ask will be about symptoms, like whether you have nightmares. I will not ask for the content of the nightmares either. I only need to know enough to determine what course of treatment we should take.
At the end of the session, I’ll make my recommendations to you as to what I think is needed to meet your goals. This includes how frequently we should meet. At this point, I’ll answer any questions you need to ask about therapy and what to expect in future sessions.
What is Telehealth?
I absolutely love telehealth! Telehealth basically means that you are doing your healthcare service from a distance and via a secure online platform. Your sessions are conducted on a HIPAA compliant video conferencing system.
You connect to your appointment by clicking on a link that has been provided to you. You’ll want to do this a few minutes before your appointment time. When your therapist is ready s/he starts the session on their end. You will need to ensure that you have a private place to have your session where you will not be disturbed. Any small children who need supervision will need someone else to look after them during your session.
The awesome thing is, because you are doing the session online, you don’t have to leave the office or home for long enough to drive to an appointment and come back. Online therapy means less time away from whatever else you are doing in your day, and guess what! It works just as well as in-person therapy. I can’t tell you how many patients have told me that they love doing their sessions this way. It saves them time and money.
Taking the Next Step
If you have come this far, then you probably really do need this kind of help. Whatever choice you make, I hope you will pursue finding the right therapist for you and get the help you need to reclaim your life.
Warmly,
Lillian