What to Expect

 Looking to schedule your first appointment at Restore Therapy and Wellness, PLLC?

Call 281-607-5325 or send a message by clicking the Book Now button at the bottom of the page to schedule your free 20 minute consultation. Please let me know your availability for the consultation.  Per my licensing regulations, you must be a resident of Texas and living in the state (this doesn’t include temporarily traveling out of state).  

Therapy provides a safe, confidential place for your child to feel heard, understood and supported while he/she makes positive changes in their life.

 An initial consultation, before starting therapy sessions, is a great way to ensure that we are a “good fit”.  This will provide you an opportunity to ask questions and know how comfortable you are talking with me. It provides me the opportunity to hear about what your child is struggling with, so I can feel confident I will be able to help them.  If, at the end of the session, we decide that it isn’t the right fit, I will provide you with referrals that may better suit your needs. If it seems we may be the right fit, I will ask you for your insurance information (if you are using insurance) to verify your insurance.  I encourage you to reach out to your insurance company for specific benefit information.  Questions to ask your provider are listed in my FAQs.  I am grateful to have an amazing network of colleagues and professionals and am happy to help align your family with trusted providers.  Whether it’s within the context of an initial consultation or ongoing therapy, I can make recommendations and provide referrals.

 Please think through these questions:

• What is your reason for seeking counseling?
• What are some of the most difficult challenges your child has been experiencing?
• What are the goals that you would like your child to work on?
• What will be different when he/she has achieved those goals?  
• What would you like me to know about your family and your child?
• What kind of support do you need to work well with me?

*Prior to our first meeting, please print out an intake form from my forms page, fill it out, and bring it to the parent intake appointment.  If you are unable to print the form, please notify me before the appointment so you can pick one up or I can mail the form to you.

If you are divorced

I will need the portion of your divorce decree that details both parents' rights and duties. It is a Texas State Board of Social Workers ethical requirement that a copy of this portion of the decree be kept in your child's file. Depending on the actual wording of your rights in the document, both parents may be required to consent (in writing) before therapy can begin.The decree must state that you are legally authorized to seek out and consent to treatment (therapy or testing) for your child or that both parents are aware. Based on the decree, I may need to contact the other parent and receive authorization for services. I am legally unable to treat your child or discuss your concerns without this legal documentation.

Please Bring these items to your intake appointment:

• Completed intake form
• Your Texas Photo Identification
• Your child’s insurance card (from biological/custodial parent of a minor)
• A list of your child’s medications
• Your child’s previous therapist, physician or hospital files that may be relevant
• Your desired form of payment (check, cash, major credit card).
• Your divorce decree (if divorced)

*Your appointment time is held exclusively for you. Please arrive on time as you use your own time when you are late.

 This appointment is for the parents or guardians only and typically lasts for 90-120 minutes.  At the start of your first visit, I will have some important documents for us to review that will provide information about the therapeutic process, confidentiality, and what you can expect.  The documents also outline office practices that will be helpful for you.  

Once we have reviewed and signed the documents, we will gather information about your family’s biological, psychological, and social history and how it impacts your current situation.  This is a chance for you to tell me your story. You can share information about your child’s history, current behaviors and your family’s functioning as a whole. We will discuss your child’s strengths, challenges, your goals for therapy, and what you need from me as your child’s provider.  The parent intake can take one to three hours and may be broken down to two sessions. At the end of the session/sessions, we will determine a day and time of the week to schedule sessions at the frequency necessary for your child.  All fees, co-insurance, and co-pays are collected at the time services are rendered.

 The intake may take multiple sessions to complete. During these sessions, I will focus on building a strong, trusting therapeutic relationship with your child. In the initial session, your child will be able to get a sense of what it will be like to work together.  We will discuss your child’s story, discover potential areas of strength and areas of improvement.  The subsequent sessions are typically a time to discuss possible goals and create a preliminary “Treatment Plan.”  The treatment plan will outline what things you and your child would like to change through specific goals. These goals will outline how we will measure them, and what will happen during therapy to help your child reach them.  

Once your child’s intake is completed, you and your child will meet for a session to go over the clinical intake results, discuss and agree on goals, and finalize the plan of treatment.  This way, you know what to expect over the course of your child’s mental health treatment.

 Generally, every fifth session week, you as the parent or guardian will participate in a consultation session.This is flexible and based on need. We can determine if more frequent parent consults would be helpful. It is important we discuss treatment updates, progress, how things are going at home, problem-solving, and skill building for challenges.  Depending on the age of your child and their specific needs, you may be meeting alone or with your child.  My goal is to support the whole family.  Sometimes I may recommend family sessions to help improve the parent/guardian-child relationship or sibling-to-sibling relationship, should there be any problems.  It is important to maintain strong and positive ties within the family system. You play a critical role in your child's mental health treatment.

These sessions can help you increase communication, better understand the thought process and issues your child is experiencing, and develop skills or plans to address behavioral issues or challenges in your child.

 The following sessions will focus on continued relationship development and working towards your child’s therapy treatment plan goals. We will discuss your child’s progress and decide if we need to add goals, change them, or if we are nearing the end of therapy. 

Sessions begin with a relaxation technique and then a recap of what happened during the previous session. Next, we will discuss what has occurred since the last session and work toward therapy goals through various treatment modalities.  Sometimes, I will recommend a task for your child to do before the next session to further the therapy process. At the end of the session, we end with a final thought or question and a relaxation technique.  For young children, we will follow the same structure, but will focus more on play therapy.

There are many factors that contribute to the length of therapy and vary from client to client, so it is difficult to predict until we begin working together. While every child’s course of treatment is different, mental health treatment often lasts 6 months to a few years.  Therapy can be short-term, focusing on a specific issue, or longer-term, addressing more complex issues or ongoing personal growth.  Progress is monitored during sessions and discussed at parent consultation sessions. We will work together to find the length of time that works for you.  Therapy sessions will last 45-60 minutes and are generally each week at the same time to provide consistency.

 Sometimes it is necessary for me to end a therapeutic relationship and refer a client to a provider who is better suited to their needs. This happens when the client’s difficulties are outside my scope and areas of competency, interpersonal differences can’t be overcome or the client does not make progress in therapy.  Please see my policies and practices document for more information on termination.

For most clients, since the end goal of therapy is for your child to achieve their treatment plan goals, we are always working toward termination. As they make progress, sessions may start to be scaled back to every other week and then monthly.  When we have identified that your child’s goals have been met and there has been sufficient growth, we will fully terminate the therapeutic relationship. During the last few sessions, I will explore and address your and your child’s feelings and concerns about ending therapy.  It will also be a time to celebrate their achievements!  Your child will have a toolbox of helpful strategies to cope with future times of stress and difficulties. They will also have a mental health maintenance plan that includes triggers, warning signs, coping strategies, support systems and self-care.  Once termination has occurred, it is not absolute.  My door is open for you to return after a few months or years to “check-in” or if you would like assistance addressing new challenges.

*My goal is to support your family and child every step of the way*