Therapy involves talking through your painful emotions, experiences and relationships with a professional who has the training and experience to offer insight and guidance to help you heal, change and grow.

Any time emotional or relationship issues are affecting your ability to function at work, at home or at school, therapy is likely to help. If you find yourself tearful, angry, fatigued, irritable, anxious or nervous, or if others have said you "don't seem yourself lately," those are good signs it is time to invest in some therapy.

In the first session we review our therapy agreement, discuss the problems you are seeking help for, gather background information (which may include school history, work history and significant relationships and experiences), and begin to set goals for treatment.

A typical session is 45 to 50 minutes. Dr. Laird works on a 50-minute session and Dr. Shari works on a 45-minute session.

Most of our clients come once a week. During a crisis, more than one session a week may be helpful.

That is answered person by person. It depends on how many issues you want to address, how long the current problem has existed, whether sessions are attended regularly, and whether the suggested changes are made between sessions.

Your insurance may pay for some of the cost depending on your diagnosis and your policy. Many insurance companies do not pay for marital therapy. Neither Dr. Laird nor Dr. Shari is a contracted provider with any insurance company, but many of our clients use the out-of-network benefit of their policy to help with the cost. This option is not available with HMO coverage. Out-of-network benefits usually reimburse at a lower rate than in-network care.

We ask that you pay our fee at each session. We then give you monthly superbills to submit to your insurance carrier, and your insurer reimburses you directly.

Fees vary from therapist to therapist and by the type of service. Your therapist will go over fees with you before you begin.

We accept cash, or a check made payable to BPS (Bridgman Psychological Services). We do not accept credit cards.

Make therapy a priority by attending sessions consistently and completing any homework your therapist suggests. Bring a pad and pen to write down important insights, and come to each session with an idea of what you want to discuss. Many clients use our form, "How to prepare for a therapy session." Our patient forms are on the Forms page.

We are not an emergency service. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 right away.