Your first session

What happens at a first session

A first session lasts about 50 minutes. Here is how it usually goes.

Step 1: Before you arrive
We send a short form to read at home, in large print if you ask. It covers practical matters such as how to reach you; it does not ask for your health history.
Step 2: The first few minutes
Dr. Meadows welcomes you, explains how privacy works and what its limits are, and tells you how the sessions run.
Step 3: Getting to know you
You talk about what you would like from therapy, in your own words and at your own speed. Dr. Meadows listens, and asks only what helps her understand.
Step 4: Before you leave
You decide together whether it feels like a fit and how often to meet. The fee for the next visit is confirmed in writing.

Good to know

What a first session is, and is not

It is a conversation
There is no test and no right way to begin. You may talk, think aloud, or sit quietly for a moment.
It is a chance to ask
Ask about methods, privacy, fees, anything. You are choosing a clinician as much as she is meeting you.
It is not emergency care
If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency. Vale is not monitored around the clock.

Write to us and we will reply with open times and the fee in writing.