*** Dr. Savage is not currently accepting new patients ***
I provide individual therapy for a wide range of issues. I provide services to adults, adolescents, and older children (10+). Sessions last approximately 45-50 minutes.
If you’ve never done therapy before, I think you will be surprised at how helpful and powerful weekly individual sessions can be and how much change and growth occurs. I have witnessed major, lasting changes in clients over the years and look forward to helping you make the changes and have the support you are longing for.
It is important you feel comfortable with me. Therapy is a process where you may potentially discuss deeply personal information, so you will need to feel comfortable talking openly with me in order to get the most out of your therapy experience.
Research consistently shows your comfort level with your therapist is the first and most critical factor in effective psychotherapy.* Another major factor is the training and skill of the therapist**. Thus, part of this first session or two is you determining your level of connection and comfort with me. Often you will know by the first call, if not the first session if you feel comfortable working with me. See this article: Tips for what to look for when searching for a therapist
I will also be assessing if I am a good fit for you, and I may decide based on your needs and concerns that there might be someone else who might have more specialized training for your specific needs.
If you have therapy before and had a bad experience or felt it did not help as much as you’d hoped, I will want to discuss what was not working for you before, so we can create a more satisfying and successful therapy experience for you.
Areas of specialty include depression (mild, moderate, or severe), anxiety, PTSD, abuse or emotional neglect in childhood, alcohol overuse, drug problems, relationship dissatisfaction, and life transitions.
Once we decide on a time, I ideally like to keep the same time blocked for you each week. Consistency in time is an important part of the therapeutic process. It is also important that we meet weekly in order for you to gain maximum benefit at the fastest pace. Meeting less frequently is less beneficial for you, and I do not want to waste your time or money. (However, I understand circumstances or finances may make weekly sessions impossible and we can discuss alternative scheduling if needed.)
I also offer sessions by phone or online when you are traveling or having health or transportation issues but still would like to have a session.
While I work within certain diagnostic sets and have expertise in many diagnoses, it is important to note my approach involves treating you as a complex person with complex needs. Simply looking at therapy as a person with a diagnosis is not ultimately helpful. For a better understanding of my approach see the About Dr. Savage page.
For a little more on understanding the limitations of a mental health diagnosis, see this article:
(Doublethink Diagnosis 2.0 – A psychiatric diagnosis cannot be “the cause” of anything) – https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psychologically-minded/201310/doublethink-diagnosis-20
I look forward to talking with you.
American Psychological Association guide “How to choose a psychologist”
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/choose-therapist.aspx
* Some of the research on importance of connection with therapist:
Therapeutic Alliance and Outcome of Psychotherapy: Historical Excursus, Measurements, and Prospects for Research by Rita B. Ardito1 and Daniela Rabellino http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198542/
Relation between working alliance and outcome in psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. by Horvath, Adam O.; Symonds, B. Diannehttp://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1991-22095-001
Research summary on the therapeutic relationship and psychotherapy outcome by Lambert, Michael J.; Barley, Dean E.
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=2002-01390-002
** Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (4th ed.). (1994) by Orlinksky, Grave & Parks
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=search.displayRecord&uid=1994-97069-007