First visit to Willamette Valley Counseling?

During your first call or contact with our office, you can expect:

• To be asked if you are interested in TeleTherapy or an Office Appointment.
• To be asked to complete some forms. These will include confidentiality, questions about you, and a financial statement. Information about confidentiality acknowledges your rights and responsibilities in therapy.

​During your first visit you can expect:

• To be asked some questions about yourself and what brought you to therapy.
• To feel listened to and comfortable talking with the therapist. We want you to feel free to express yourself and talk about what is important to you. 
• At the end of the session, we will talk with you about what you hope to accomplish by coming to therapy and discuss a plan to help you. This may include continuing meeting with the therapist on a regular basis, additional resources, or a referral to  another specialist who may be better able to help you. 

How will counseling help me?

It really depends on what you want to get out of the counseling, but it is rare that you will leave without feeling a positive change. 

For some clients counseling helps them solve a specific problem so that they can move forward with increased confidence. For other clients, counseling helps them transform their relationships and their lives. 

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Find the right therapist for you.

It’s easy to find a counselor, but perhaps more difficult to know if you’ve found the right therapist for you. There are a number of questions you can ask us to help you to choose a counselor. Here are a few questions to get you started:

1. What does it feel like for you to sit with the therapist?
2. What’s the counselor’s approach to therapy?
3. Does the counselor seek regular peer consultation?
4. Has your counselor done his or her own therapy?
5. Does the counselor encourage dependence or independence?
6. Does the counselor belong to a professional association and its code of ethics? Read the AAMFT code of ethics.