Getting Started
What to Expect From a Free Consultation
Vanessa's free consultation is a 15-minute phone call to decide together whether working with her makes sense. She asks a few questions about what is bringing you in and where you will be for sessions, and you can ask about her approach, availability and fees. Therapy itself begins at the first full session.
How to Request the Consultation
You request the call by filling out the form on Work With Me, and a time is arranged from there. Vanessa is currently accepting new clients. Plan to take the call somewhere you can talk freely for 15 minutes, with a rough idea of your weekly schedule and your questions written down.
What Vanessa Will Ask You
Her questions are brief and practical. She wants a clear enough picture to tell whether she is a good fit, so you do not need to tell your whole story, and you can hold off on anything you are not ready to discuss. Expect questions along these lines:
- What is prompting you to look for a therapist now
- Whether you want individual sessions or couples sessions
- Whether you will be physically in Texas during sessions
- What you would most like to be different
- Whether you have been in therapy before, and what helped
What You Can Ask Vanessa
A few answers are set in advance: sessions run 60 minutes, including the first, by secure video; you need to be in Texas during each session; and cancellations need 24 hours' notice, with a fee for late cancellations and missed sessions. Fees are discussed on the call, and the rates page covers how payment works.
Beyond that, use the time to check whatever would make or break the arrangement for you. Her methods include CBT, ACT, DBT skills, psychodynamic therapy and, for couples, the Gottman Method, so it is fair to ask which she would draw on for your concern. Other useful questions to bring:
- What a typical session with her looks like
- What times she has open for regular sessions
- What sessions cost, and whether she can provide a superbill
- What happens if you travel outside Texas for a stretch
What the Consultation Leaves Out
The call is about fit, so it leaves out the things therapy itself involves: going through your history, working on the problem, or putting together an assessment or treatment plan. Those start in the first session, when there is a full hour for them.
It is also a scheduled call, and New Tide Therapy does not offer crisis support. If something feels urgent while you wait, skip the consultation and get help now: if you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, or call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
What Happens After the Consultation
If you both want to go ahead, the next step is booking a first session. Like every session, it is 60 minutes by secure video, taken from a private spot anywhere in Texas. You will go over your history and goals in more depth, and the page on first sessions walks through what that hour usually covers.
Because the practice is private pay, you are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate of what your sessions are expected to cost. If you decide not to go ahead, nothing further is expected of you, and you are free to keep looking.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the 15-minute phone consultation costs nothing, and booking it does not commit you to anything. Fees apply from the first full session if you decide to go ahead. If cost will shape your decision, ask about it during the call, since that is where Vanessa goes over fees and how superbills work.
The consultation is a phone call. Sessions after that take place by secure video, so your first session is usually the first time you see each other. Before then, check that you have a private room, headphones if others are home, and an internet connection steady enough for an hour of video.
That is a fine reason to book the call. Describe what has been going on, and Vanessa can tell you whether it sounds like something she works with, such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, grief, burnout, relationship strain or a major life change. If her practice does not look like the right fit, you will at least leave with a clearer idea of what to look for.
Related Pages
Work With Me
Read MoreFirst Sessions
How starting therapy with Vanessa works, from the free 15-minute phone consultation to the first 60-minute video session and the goals that follow.Read More
Fees and Payment
Read More
Choosing a Therapist
What to check when choosing a therapist: license and state, approach, practical details, questions to ask, and when to keep looking.Read MoreA gentler next step
You don't have to know exactly what to say.
A free 15-minute phone consultation is a simple place to begin.