What do we focus on in therapy?
I focus very much on our therapeutic working relationship. We will talk about your present concerns and how they impact your daily life, such as relationships, physical health, cultural identities, and overall interactions in this very chaotic world. It is not uncommon for me in sessions to reflect on systems that perpetuate racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination that absolutely impact your individual mental and physical health. My approach also includes processing past experiences and relationships which shape who we are and how we navigate the world.
What is your approach to therapy?
I approach therapy genuinely, provide my honest feedback, and work collaboratively with you so that I can work myself out of a job… meaning that YOU yourself will learn how to cope and heal from what you have experienced.
I don’t live in Colorado. Can I still see you?
Yes! While my home-based license is in Colorado, I have met professional, educational, and training requirements for the authority to practice teletherapy across states that participate in PsyPact. I offer telehealth sessions in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin. If you live in one of these states, we can meet for ongoing teletherapy sessions.
What does a first session look like?
The first session includes lots of questions about your history & background, why you decided to come to therapy, and what you are hoping to get out the process. Sometimes it’s challenging to figure out goals for therapy. I most often will ask you, “How do you know when you DON’T need therapy?” At that first session, we will figure out what you are needing the most and together, we will come up with how we can get there.
What do ongoing individual therapy sessions look like?
Individual therapy sessions last 50 minutes, and I always encourage clients to guide our time together. Sessions mostly focus on whatever you are needing support with that day/week/month. These are typically unstructured and your time to reflect and process. We can meet weekly or every other week, depending on what we decide during that initial session.
What do couples therapy sessions look like?
If we have a phone consultation and it feels like a good fit for your relationship, we will schedule a session with both partners present to get a history of your relationship, reasons for coming to couples therapy, and hopes that you have for the process. After that initial session, I will meet with each partner individually. This allows for lots of gathering history both in the context of the relationship and of each partner. These details are incredibly important for me to know how to best support you both. After the individual sessions, all the following sessions will be with both partners. Depending on your needs in your relationship, couples work with me can vary. I will often be teaching you skills and education about relationships, while also using sessions for real-time practice of these skills. It is not uncommon for me to encourage partners to talk TO each other in sessions as opposed to taking turns simply talking to me as the therapist.
Ok, I might be interested. What’s next?
If you have taken a took at this website and think, ok, this might be something I want to consider, please feel free to contact me either by e-mail or phone. I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation, which is really an opportunity for you to put a real human voice to a name and learn more about my services. We will likely briefly talk about what you are hoping for in this process. It is also a chance for you to ask me any questions and to see if we would be a good match. From there, we schedule our first intake appointment. Again, the phone consultation is at NO COST to you. If we determine that we may not be a great match, we can figure out next alternative steps. Therapy is all about fit!
Dr. Alexandria Ambrose LLC 