What to Expect

At Riverside Counseling, therapy is a highly interactive and collaborative process focused on understanding what is happening, identifying patterns, building skills, and creating meaningful change.

I’m compassionate, direct, and goal-oriented—and I’m confident in the work I do. But I also believe your progress belongs to you. 

And I also believe in: 

What you put into therapy is what you get out of it.

At Riverside Counseling, your story comes first. 

You won’t just tell me your story—you’ll learn how to change what comes next. 

But I cannot do the work for you—and I won’t work harder than you.

Your progress depends on your willingness to participate, reflect, practice new skills, and take what you learn in therapy beyond the session. Therapy isn’t just about what happens in the room; it’s about what you do with that work between sessions.

Because first and foremost—

You and Your Story Comes First. 

Before your intake, you’ll receive "Riverside Counseling’s 10 Personal Questions: My Story" exercise.

This is intentional—it gives you time to reflect on what brought you to therapy, what you’ve experienced, and what you hope will change.

I review your responses before we schedule your first session so I can begin with a deeper understanding of your story rather than asking you to start from scratch. 

You be asked to complete “10 Questions: My Story” before your first session because therapy with me is intentional from the very beginning. 

I may be the only therapist in the area who starts the therapeutic process this way—and that’s intentional.

It’s also a pretty good reflection of my personality: I’ve never been one to simply follow the status quo.

Instead of relying solely on the typical intake questions—What brings you in? How long have you felt this way? What symptoms are you experiencing?—I want to know your story.

That’s why I ask you to complete “10 Questions: My Story.” It goes beyond checking boxes on an intake form and gives me a chance to begin understanding the person behind the presenting problem before we even sit down together.

At Riverside Counseling, you are more than an intake form, a diagnosis, or a list of symptoms. Your story matters—and that’s where we start.

I want to understand more than what brought you through the door today. I want to begin understanding you: your experiences, your patterns, your strengths, the things you have carried, and what you hope will change.

Yes, it takes some extra work on your part. But that work matters.

I’m good at what I do, and I take the therapeutic process seriously. “10 Questions: My Story” gives us a starting point that allows us to spend less time gathering basic history and more time doing meaningful therapeutic work.

Think of it as your first step toward success in therapy. The time and thought you put into this before our first session helps us make the most of the time we have together—and helps me meet you where you are from the very beginning.

Ready to Start? 

Your story matters. Your goals matter. And meaningful change is possible at Riverside Counseling - reach out today.