Kara’s Experience

Over the last seven years in the mental health field, Kara has grown as a clinician by working in the following roles:

  • Therapeutic mentor and youth support group leader with Lahey Health Behavioral Services (2013-2014)

  • Graduate clinical intern in adult partial hospital and intensive outpatient eating disorder treatment programs at Walden Behavioral Care (2016-2017)

  • Adolescent clinician in family based partial hospital and intensive outpatient eating disorder treatment program at Walden Behavioral Care (2017-2020)

  • Outpatient mental health counselor with Counseling Services of Greater Boston (2020-2021)

The process: What to expect

 

intake paperwork

 

You will be asked to complete and submit intake paperwork prior to your initial appointment. This is conveniently completed electronically via HIPAA compliant medical record software. Information covered in this paperwork includes questions about what brings you to therapy, history of symptoms, and our protocols and information.

As this information is important for the therapy process, intake paperwork must be received at least 24 hours prior to your first session. If you are under the age of 18, a parent/guardian must sign this paperwork.

 

Initial session

 

Your first session is an “intake evaluation.” This is a time to review information provided on intake paperwork, discuss what you are hoping to get out of therapy, and determine whether outpatient therapy is appropriate at this time. If you are under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must participate in at least 15 minutes of the initial session to discuss any questions they may have. This session is typically 45-60 minutes long.

 

Therapy sessions

 

Sessions following the initial intake are typically 45 minutes long. Generally, sessions occur weekly or bi-weekly and decrease as you make progress on your goals.

 

consultation

 

Consultation with other providers involved in your care is an important part of treatment. You will be asked to provide consent for communication between your therapist and relevant providers (ex: PCP, psychiatrist, etc.) Please note that consultation that is frequent and/or exceeds 20 minutes is viewed as an additional service outside of routine care. See page on billing and payment for additional information.