Therapy Services for Children, Adolescents, Adults and Families
What to Expect
If this is your first time in therapy, you may be
wondering what to expect. The first session will give you a chance to
see if I’m the right therapist for you. The most important part of any
therapy is the relationship we create, where you feel safe, listened to,
and understood, all from a non-judgmental and unconditionally accepting
place. I’ll start by asking you to tell me why you have sought
therapy, and you will be invited to talk about any problems that you
want to bring up. I will tell you about my approach and may give you a
first taste of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
by taking one of your problems and working with you to explore how your
thoughts - - some of which you may not even have been aware of - -
were causing you to experience mental distress. In the beginning, a
typical “homework” assignment might be to become aware of your thoughts
and feelings that arise when you are experiencing mental negative emotions stemming from the problems we have targeted to work on. Depending on
your issues and goals, in addition to restructuring your way of thinking and feeling, we may start to analyze and pinpoint one or two
small behavioral steps you could take to reach the goals we developed.
The sessions are typically 50minutes.
Payment and/or Insurance Coverage
It is the client’s responsibility to apply for reimbursement to his/her insurance company. Virtually all insurance companies will cover the services of a Licensed Professional Counselor although the benefit varies by company. My fees range from $175 to $250.
Specialized Counseling Techniques
Therapy with children and young adolescents
When I work with children, I use a mix of play
therapy, gestalt, and cognitive behavioral therapy – always mindful of
the developmental needs and unique personality of each child. Therapy
can be fun: we play games, and use music and art to help explore,
identify, and express feelings. Children and adolescents learn to
develop skills in managing and coping with their experiences in healthy,
positive ways; to focus on their unique strengths and personal
resources; and to connect to and get help from the resources in their
family and community. From the death of a loved one, to the many losses
surrounding divorce, to anxiety and depression, they experience hope
and optimism through developing self efficacy when they are given the
skills to successfully manage their emotions and regulate their
behavior.
Grief and Loss
In addition to the therapeutic approaches
described above, I address the loss of a loved one as a result of death,
divorce or separation by giving your children and family members many
enjoyable opportunities to remember their loved ones, including making
collages, creating and decorating a memory box to store pictures or
special articles to help stay connected, and decorating a picture frame
with stickers, paint and magazine cut-outs. We use journals to color and
write in, scrapbooks and photo albums, and other uniquely created
expressive outlets to tell your story and to commemorate and celebrate
the life and the relationship you shared.
Trauma
If you have experienced a traumatic event, I will
use Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Many times a traumatic
experience will need to be addressed by using a form of “exposure” to
images, thoughts, and feelings associated with the event. This is done
is a safe therapeutic relationship, in small doses, with adequate
preparation and skill building in relaxation and emotion management. We
will then move on to do the other healing work described above.
Couples Therapy
When working with couples, I like to use Enhanced
Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy and Integrative Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy. We work collaboratively to pinpoint specific behaviors that
each partner would like to change, look for central themes in a couple’s
struggle, and identify each partner’s vulnerabilities and defenses.
We will explore, identify, and then practice ways to foster emotional
acceptance, empathy, and tolerance while working on traditional behavior
change, communication training, and problem-solving strategies.
Please contact me
for more information, a telephone consultation or to schedule an
initial appointment. If I am unable to take your call, please leave a
message in my confidential voice mail box. You may also email me at
Debbie Schechter, J.D., M.S., LPC
Therapy for Children, Adults, Couples and Families in Washington DC Area 3802 Jocelyn Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20015
(202) 363-2222 debbieschechter@gmail.com