What to Expect at Sycamore Counseling Services

Clear, Compassionate Guidance Every Step of the Way

Starting therapy can feel like a big step. At Sycamore Counseling Services, we want you to feel comfortable and confident from the very first moment you reach out. Here’s exactly what you can expect during your initial visit and throughout your therapeutic journey.

Your Initial Intake Session

Your first session is all about building comfort, understanding your needs, and laying the foundation for successful therapy.

During your intake session, you can expect:

A Warm Welcome: Your therapist will greet you warmly, ensuring you feel comfortable, safe, and at ease.
Understanding Your Needs: Your therapist will ask thoughtful questions to learn about your experiences, concerns, personal goals, and hopes for therapy.
Collaborative Goal-Setting: Together, you and your therapist will discuss your therapeutic goals, exploring the changes you wish to achieve.
Confidentiality and Questions: We’ll clearly outline confidentiality practices and ensure all your questions about therapy and our approach are thoroughly answered.
Creating Your Therapy Plan: You and your therapist will collaboratively design a personalized treatment plan tailored specifically to your emotional wellness and goals.

Your intake session typically lasts between 50–60 minutes.

Ongoing Therapy Sessions: Frequency & Duration

Consistency in therapy is key to achieving meaningful change and lasting emotional wellness. Our therapy process is designed to meet your individual needs, circumstances, and lifestyle.

Typical session details:

Session Frequency: Most clients attend therapy once a week initially, allowing consistent support, progress, and growth. Frequency can be adjusted based on your individual needs, progress, and schedule.
Session Duration: Therapy sessions typically last 50–60 minutes, providing adequate time for meaningful dialogue, skill-building, and emotional exploration.
Flexible Scheduling: We offer flexible appointment times, including evening hours and Telehealth options, making it easy and convenient to fit therapy into your life.

What Happens During Regular Therapy Sessions?

Regular sessions are structured to help you achieve emotional clarity, practical coping skills, and meaningful growth.

Each session typically includes:

Check-Ins: Briefly reviewing your progress, experiences, and emotional state since your last session.
Discussion & Exploration: Thoughtful conversation exploring your emotions, experiences, and challenges in depth.
Skill-Building & Practical Strategies: Teaching practical coping strategies, emotional regulation skills, communication techniques, and other evidence-based practices.
Setting Intentions and Goals: Planning actionable steps to practice between sessions, fostering consistent emotional growth and skill reinforcement.

Your Comfort and Confidentiality

Your emotional safety and confidentiality are our highest priorities:

Private, Comfortable Setting: Our welcoming office located at 17 Westerman Avenue, Seymour, CT, provides a calming, supportive atmosphere for your sessions.
Telehealth Counseling Available: If preferred, you can enjoy confidential sessions remotely from any location in Connecticut through our secure Telehealth platform.
Strict Confidentiality Practices: All therapy sessions and personal information are kept strictly confidential, following HIPAA guidelines and professional standards.

Ready to Begin Your Emotional Wellness Journey?

At Sycamore Counseling Services, we’re dedicated to ensuring your therapy experience is comfortable, clear, and empowering from your first session onward.

Let us support you on your path to lasting emotional health, resilience, and personal growth.

Notice of Privacy Practices Effective Date: September 2025

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 establishes federal standards protecting sensitive health information from disclosure without patient's consent. The US Department of Health and Human Services issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule to implement HIPAA requirements.

This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Your Rights

• Get a copy of your medical record.

• Request corrections if you believe your information is wrong or incomplete.

• Request confidential communications (for example, to be contacted at a different address or phone number).

• Limit what we use or share, though we may not always be able to agree.

• Get a list of disclosures of your information.

• Get a copy of this notice at any time.

• Choose someone to act for you if you have the medical power of attorney or guardian.

• File a complaint without fear of retaliation.

Your Choices

• You can tell us your preferences for sharing information with family, friends, or others involved in your care.

• We will not share your information for marketing, sales, or most fundraising purposes without your written permission.

Our Uses and Disclosures

• We use your information to treat you, run our practice, and bill for services.

• We may share information for public health and safety, legal matters, law enforcement, and workers’ compensation, only as required or permitted by law.

Our Responsibilities

• We must protect your health information.

• We will notify you if a breach occurs that may have compromised your information.

• We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you authorize us in writing.

Connecticut-Specific Privacy Practices

• Psychotherapy Notes: These are specially protected and cannot be shared without your written authorization, except as required by law.

• Minors’ Rights: In Connecticut, minors 16 and older may consent to their own treatment. Their records cannot be released without their written consent unless ordered by a court. For younger minors, parents/guardians usually have access, but information may be withheld if disclosure could harm the minor.

• Sensitive Records: Connecticut law requires written authorization to release HIV/AIDS, substance use disorder, or genetic testing information.

• Court Protections: Mental health records in Connecticut usually require a judge’s review before they may be disclosed in court.

Contact Information

Sycamore Counseling Services

17 Westerman Ave Seymour, CT 06483

203-590-7569

Stephanie@sycamorecounselingservices.com

Privacy Officer: Stephanie Jenkins, LCSW

You may file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

• Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201

• Phone: 1-877-696-6775

• Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy Acknowledgment of Receipt: You will be asked to sign a separate form acknowledging that you received this Notice

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