Frequently Asked Questions

Therapy can help people of all ages work through personal, relationship, family, work, and/or school challenges so that they can heal, move forward, and enjoy a life that is productive and fulfilling.

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At Compassionate Healing, we view therapy as being collaborative and relational. We believe therapy is effective when there is a strong therapeutic relationship and good fit between the therapist and the client. Our goal is to create a supportive, nonjudgmental environment where you feel understood and comfortable expressing yourself. A good therapist can help you gain insight and recognize patterns, while also helping you work towards developing more effective coping skills, habits, and healthy relationships.

You do not have to wait until something is “wrong” to seek therapy. As with any medical issue, prevention and maintenance of your health and well-being are key. You can seek therapy when you notice there are areas of your life that you would like to improve, when you are feeling down, anxious or stuck, or if you’d like to work through things that are bothering you from the past or in current situations. ​

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Here is a list of reasons you may want to seek therapy:

• You do not feel like yourself

• You feel angry, scared, sad, hopeless…all/most of the time

• You are using/abusing alcohol, food, shopping, sex…to cope

• You feel anxious or irritable on a regular basis

• You have experienced a significant loss

• You are experiencing difficulties due to a break-up, divorce, or separation

• You have experienced a traumatic event that still impacts you

• You keep thinking about something from the past that is still bothering you

• You are having a hard time adjusting to a life transition

• You are having difficulties in your daily functioning and habits (sleeping, eating, working)

• Your feel out of control and your feelings are negatively impacting your home life, relationships, and work life.

• Your friends/family/co-workers have expressed concerns about you

• You have thoughts of death and dying that are troubling to you

• You are in an unhealthy relationship that is negatively impacting your emotional health and safety

• You want to break unhealthy patterns in your relationships

• You are engaging in self-injurious behaviors

As a parent, you are your child’s biggest support. You are the one who understands your child’s wants, needs, fears, and talents. There may be moments in life when, as a parent, you feel as like you no longer have all of the answers to your child’s challenges, and need to seek extra support from a therapist.

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Everyone’s experience is different, and there are a variety of reasons to consider therapy for your child. Some of them are as follows:

• Your child has shown a sudden behavioral change

• Your child seems scared, sad or hopeless more than usual

• Your child has many fears, seems anxious or worried

• Your child is often withdrawn or does not want to interact with family or friends

• Your child is often defiant, disruptive, or aggressive to others

• Your child has difficulty concentrating, is overly active, or impulsive

• Your child is having issues with teachers, peers, or academics in school

• Your child has been bullied by peers

• Your child is often clingy, has difficulty separating from you, and/or going to school

• Your child is having frequent nightmares, bedwetting, or difficulty sleeping in their own bed

• Your child has frequent tantrums, seems angry, or irritable

• Your child has experienced a significant loss or change in the family structure

• Your child has experienced a traumatic event

• Your child is having a hard time adjusting to a life transition

• Your child has regressed or is having difficulties in their daily functioning and habits (sleeping, eating, toilet training)

• Your child is engaging in self-harm, or is having thoughts about death or dying

The first session is called an intake session. In your first session, your therapist will review your paperwork with you and inform you about your client rights and responsibilities. Your therapist will ask you several questions during your first session because they want to make sure they understand your background, goals, concerns, and day-to-day functioning. Your therapist may also give you questionnaires to complete to get a better idea about your mood, thoughts, behavior, and life experiences. The first 1-2 sessions are more question heavy because your therapist really wants to get a sense of who you are and how your concerns are impacting you. Your therapist will also want to collaborate with you to identify your treatment goals.

Typically, sessions are 50 - 55 minutes for adults. Sessions with young children may be 45 minutes long.

Regardless of whether you have been to therapy before or if this is your first session, it is common for clients to feel nervous about meeting with their therapist for the first time. We recommend you carefully complete your intake paperwork and bring it with you to your first session. We encourage you to be open and honest when answering questions in the intake packet so we can get to know you as well as possible. If there are questions that you are unsure about or that make you uncomfortable, it is ok to leave them blank and discuss them with your therapist.

If you are using health insurance, we recommend you verify and understand your health insurance benefits and bring your insurance card with you to the session. You should also bring cash, check, or a credit card for your co-payment. We encourage you to arrive 10 minutes early for your session so you can relax in our waiting area. We look forward to meeting you!

It is a good idea to suggest your loved one see a therapist if they could benefit from help or advice outside of your comfort level or expertise. Often, we are too close to a person or situation to be fully objective.

It is extremely important to recommend a therapist when your loved one expresses feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or makes statements about life being better without them around. You may also want to recommend a therapist if a friend or loved one has been feeling anxious, down, stuck, or unable to maintain their family, personal, or work responsibilities.

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It can feel tricky recommending therapy to a loved one because of the stigma often associated with seeking mental health treatment. Others may assume that seeking mental health treatment is a sign of weakness, or that seeing a therapist means a person is “crazy.” This could not be farther from the truth. Many of us have been taught that we should “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps," "forget about it," or “handle it on our own." At Compassionate Healing, we believe that seeking therapy is a sign of strength and that therapy can help improve life satisfaction and alleviate unnecessary pain and suffering.

Compassionate Healing is happy to answer your questions about therapy to see if it's a good fit for you. We can also help you identify the right resources and provide you with referrals. Feel free to call us to consult about your situation. We have a wide range of resources within our practice and are networked with other practitioners across Rhode Island.