+ What happens in a counseling session?

Sessions are always tailored to the needs and interests of each individual or family. Your counselor will work with you to ensure that the style of counseling and strategies being used are a good fit for you.

Typical individual sessions involve conversation between the counselor and client, coaching on specific strategies, and incorporation of art or other expressive activities as appropriate. Family and couples sessions focus on the interaction between members of the family. Your counselor will help identify patterns that might be exacerbating challenges and coach you in how to change them.

Specific strategies are used when working with kids and teens. Please check out of Kids and Teens page to learn more.

+ How long does counseling take?

This is highly variable and depends on each person's goals. Some people come to counseling for one or two sessions to consult on a specific issue, while others come for several months in order to integrate the changes they want to see in their life. Your counselor will discuss this in your first session together and can guide you on how long it may take to achieve specific goals that you have.

+ Do I really need counseling? My problems aren't that bad.

At Forward Together Counseling, we focus on prevention and early intervention. The sooner people come in--either when they are expecting a challenge, or when one started recently, the quicker they get back on track to feeling their best. Counseling can be a great support to utilize right before big transitions (getting married, having a child, moving to a new place, switching jobs). Your counselor can help you identify potential pitfalls and help maximize your strengths so that you feel confident in your next steps.

+ How can I find a good counselor?

Great question! It is important to take your time and ensure that the counselor you choose to work with is a good fit for you. Research has shown that the most important factor in successful counseling is the client feeling comfortable with the counselor. So check your gut, if you feel like you don't "click" with a counselor, you might want to explore other providers.

Some questions you might want to ask when screening counselors include:

• How much experience do you have working with my specific issue?
• What approach or models do you use with your clients?
• When do you consider counseling to be complete?
• What are you trained in and what continuing training are you receiving? These questions and a counselor's ability to answer them can be a great starting point to see if they are a good fit for you.

We know how hard it can be to find a good counselor. That is why Forward Together Counseling focuses on hiring only the best of the best. When you come to Forward Together, you can rest assured that you will have a highy skilled counselor.

+ How can I get the most out of counseling?

Counseling tends to work best when you are eager to participate. While it can be scary to start counseling, if you are ready for changes in your life, you will probably find a lot of benefit in counseling.

At Forward Together Counseling, we believe in using a collaborative process. While we are experts in relational and mental health, you are the expert in your life. Working together, we can achieve a lot. To get the most out of counseling, be open with you counselor about what you like and don't like in sessions. Tell them if there are strategies that aren't working for you--and what has been helpful. We won't be offeneded! This helps us shape the experience to be most helpful for you--which is what we want!

+ Is counseling really any different that talking to trusted family or best friend?

Strong relationships and social support are vital to life. That is why Forward Together Counseling emphasizes couple and family sessions in our practice. Counseling can never take the place of important relationships, but it can offer a few things that friends and family can't:

• Expertise in relational and mental health

Our counselors all have advanced degrees in relational and mental health, plus two or more years of advanced supervision and training after degree completion. In the same way that we need experts in physical health to advise us in treatment (would you take advice from your friend on treating your broken arm?), we benefit from working with skilled counselors and therapists on mental and relational health.

• Years of experience working with people going through similar challenges

Our counselors have been in the field for years. We have seen hundreds (collectively thousands) of individuals and families dealing with similar challenges. This gives us a birds eye view of how people have successfully dealt with relational and mental health issues and lots of options for what might work best for you. Even our most social family and friends can't say that!

• We know how to help you connect with the right solutions for you.

At Forward Together Counseling, we focus on prevention and early intervention. We consider ourselves Primary Care Providers for relational and mental health. In the same way your Primary Care Provider can treat the common cold, we can treat the most common challenges that people have (depression, anciety, family conflict, tantrums, etc.). Sometimes we need more specialized treatment, so just as your PCP will send you to a specialist for further follow up, Forward Together Counselors can help you decide if you need more specialized treatment and connect you with the right providers within our strong professional network. Navigating the health care system can be tricky, and Forward Together has the experience to help you move forward with ease. Having an experienced professional by your side can help you get to the right steps more quickly and easily.