Asking for help is one of the most deliberate and grounded steps you can take. Individual counseling offers a space where you can speak openly, process what you are carrying and begin to build the skills and awareness that support how you want to live.
At Artisan Counseling, individual therapy is a collaboration between you and a licensed mental health professional. It is not about being told what to do. It is about working alongside someone trained to help you see patterns, develop strategies and move forward at a pace that works for you.
Individual counseling is for adults who are looking for support with their thoughts, emotions, behaviors or relationships. You do not need to be in crisis to begin therapy. Many clients start counseling because something feels off, because they want to process a life event or because they have reached a point where the way they have been coping is no longer working.
You may benefit from individual counseling if you are:
There is no single profile for someone who starts therapy. What most clients share is a willingness to engage in the process and a desire to feel better.
Our licensed counselors and social workers work with clients across a range of concerns. Some of the areas most frequently addressed in individual counseling include:
Anxiety & worry. Racing thoughts, avoidance behaviors, tension in the body and difficulty being present are experiences many clients report. Therapy can help you identify what triggers your anxiety and develop tools to manage it.
Depression & low mood. Loss of interest, fatigue, hopelessness and withdrawal can make it difficult to function. Counseling provides structure and support as you work toward stability.
Trauma & post-trauma responses. If a past event continues to affect how you feel, think or react, therapy can help you process that experience in a way that does not re-traumatize you.
Grief & loss. Grief does not follow a timeline. Counseling provides a space to sit with loss and work through what comes with it, including anger, guilt, confusion and sadness.
Life transitions. Retirement, parenthood, relocation, career shifts and relationship changes all carry stress. Therapy helps you make sense of what is changing and how to adapt.
Stress management. When stress becomes ongoing, it affects your body, your relationships and your decision-making. Individual counseling helps you develop awareness and strategies to reduce its impact.
Substance use concerns. If your relationship with alcohol, drugs or other substances has started to cause problems, therapy offers a space to examine that pattern and determine next steps.
Self-esteem & identity. How you see yourself affects every part of your life. Counseling can help you recognize the beliefs you hold about yourself and begin to challenge the ones that are not serving you.
Each person’s experience in therapy is different, but there is a general structure that most clients can expect.
Sessions are typically 53 minutes. You and your counselor will meet on a regular basis, most often weekly or biweekly. Sessions may take place in person at one of our offices or through telehealth, depending on your preference and your counselor’s availability.
Early sessions focus on getting to know you. Your counselor will ask about what brought you to counseling, your history, your goals and the areas of your life that feel most affected. This is not an interrogation. It is a conversation, and you control how much you share and when.
From there, your counselor will work with you to identify goals and develop a plan. That plan is not fixed. It changes as you change. Some clients come in with a clear concern and others need time to figure out what they want to focus on. Both are a natural part of the counseling process.
Over time, sessions potentially shift from exploration to skill-building, processing and application. Your counselor may introduce exercises, reflections or strategies that you practice between sessions. Progress is not always linear, and your counselor will help you recognize the work you are doing even when it does not feel obvious.
At Artisan Counseling, our counselors draw from several evidence-supported modalities. The approach used in your sessions will depend on your goals, your history and what feels most effective for you. Your counselor may use one approach or combine elements from several.
CBT focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. It helps you identify patterns of thinking that contribute to distress and replace them with more accurate and useful ones. [Learn more about CBT]
DBT teaches skills in four areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. It is often used with clients who experience intense emotions or who struggle with impulsive responses. [Learn more about DBT]
EMDR is a structured approach designed to help the brain process distressing memories. It uses bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, to reduce the intensity of trauma-related responses. [Learn more about EMDR]
Brainspotting uses points in your field of vision to access and process trauma stored in the body and brain. It is often described as working on a deeper level than talk therapy alone and can be effective for processing experiences that are difficult to articulate. [Learn more about Brainspotting]
Somatic approaches focus on the body’s role in storing stress and trauma. Your counselor may guide you to notice physical sensations, breathing patterns or tension as a way to access and release what your body is holding. [Learn more about Somatic Therapy]
Art therapy uses creative expression as a tool for processing emotions and experiences. You do not need any background in art. The focus is on the process, not the product. Several of our counselors are board-certified art counselors. [Learn more about Art Therapy]
Many clients report that therapy helps them:
Research supports the effectiveness of therapy for a range of concerns. A 2017 review published in World Psychiatry found that psychotherapy produces meaningful and lasting improvements across mood, anxiety and stress-related conditions.
Results vary from person to person. Your counselor will regularly check in with you about how the process is going and adjust the plan as needed.
Before your first session. You will complete intake paperwork that gives your counselor background information. This can be done through the client portal ahead of your appointment.
Your first session. This is an opportunity for you and your counselor to get to know each other. You will talk about what brought you to therapy, what you hope to get out of it and any relevant history. Your counselor will explain how they work and answer any questions you have.
Ongoing sessions. Sessions are conversational and goal-directed. Your counselor may ask questions, introduce exercises or sit with you in silence if that is what the moment calls for. There is no script.
Between sessions. Some counselors suggest reflections, exercises or practices to try between appointments. These are meant to reinforce what you are working on in session.
Ending therapy. Therapy does not last forever. When you and your counselor agree that you have met your goals or have the tools to continue on your own, you will plan for a thoughtful ending to the process.
The length of therapy depends on your goals and your progress. Some clients attend for a few months and others continue for a year or longer. Your counselor will work with you to determine what makes sense for your situation.
No. Telehealth is available to any client who is physically located in Virginia at the time of their session. You do not need to live near either of our offices.
Most clients start with weekly sessions. As you progress, you and your counselor may decide to move to biweekly or monthly sessions.
No. You are in control of what you share. Your counselor may ask questions about your history, but you decide what feels appropriate to discuss and when.
Therapy is not about giving advice. Your counselor will help you examine your thoughts, feelings and behaviors so you can make informed decisions for yourself.
The relationship between you and your counselor matters. If you feel the fit is not right, let us know. We can help you find a different counselor on our team.
Yes. What you share in therapy is protected by law with a few exceptions that your counselor will explain during your first session.
Yes. Many of our counselors offer telehealth sessions for clients located in Virginia.
We accept all major insurance providers. If you are self-pay or have questions about coverage, contact our office and we will walk you through your options.
At Artisan Counseling, these terms are used interchangeably.