Frequently Asked Questions

All sessions are offered through a HIPAA compliant virtual platform only.

Dr. Damita is often not immediately available by telephone due to being in session with other clients. When she is unavailable, her telephone is answered by HIPAA-compliant voice mail. She will make every effort to return your call within 1 business day, with the exception of after-hours, off-days, vacations, and holidays. Her business hours are Tuesdays-Thursdays, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. You can email her at drlarue@drdamitalarue.com or call her at 773.234.3220.

Dr. Damita LaRue Psychology DOES NOT HAVE AN ON-CALL CLINICIAN for client support or access before or after office hours. Office hours are Tuesday-Thursday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Additionally, Dr. Damita, DOES NOT PROVIDE CRISIS SERVICES. If you are unable to reach Dr. Damita and feel that you cannot wait for her to return your call, call 911 or 988 or proceed to your nearest Emergency Department and request to speak with the therapist on call or contact your family physician. Some local crisis lines include: Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 & Crisistextline.org: text CONNECT to 741741 to receive text crisis support.

The first step is deciding to take action. Congratulations! Finding the right therapist is the next step. Our website tries to give you a good picture of what it will be like to work with Dr. Damita. For a free 20-minute consultation, click here to schedule.

Therapy varies depending on the personalities of both the therapist and you the client, and the particular issues you hope to address. There are many different methods that may be used to deal with those issues.

Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for an active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will work on things talked about both during sessions and at home. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be thoughtful about the therapist you select. If you have questions, it is important for you to discuss them with your therapist whenever they arise.

This is where we start to get to know each other. We will review your intake documents and reasons for seeking therapy at this time. We will answer any questions you may have and review informed consent. From there, we explore your history to collaborate together to create a personalized treatment plan with unique goals that are based on your needs and desires that we regularly review.

Timing will be important. Too much change or changing too quickly may feel overwhelming. Too little change or changing too slowly may feel discouraging or frustrating. Your therapist will try to pace their recommendations according to your needs.

The length of your work together will depend on your personal goals, your energy, your abilities to communicate with one another, the challenges you face, and the unfolding of events in your immediate future. You can arrange to meet together weekly or bi-weekly.

If your work together continues for more than a month (and that is common), your therapist will periodically ask you to jointly review and evaluate the work you have done together.

Most people benefit from psychotherapy, and we believe these benefits are amplified when therapy is conducted in a constructive manner.

The most common benefits include solutions to specific problems, significant reductions in feelings of distress, improvements in self-awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence, hope, feeling understood, relationships with other people, emotional expressiveness, and taking an active responsible role in one’s life.

Periods of change are often stressful. Because therapy often involves discussing distressing aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings.

You may experience a range of emotions and changes in your relationship with yourself and others (including your therapist). Yet, there are no guarantees as to what you will experience. Your therapist’s role is to help you cope in ways that enhance your well-being. It is important to note that it is rare for people to be harmed by their experience in therapy.

You always have the right to choose whether or not to continue in therapy. If you feel that you might work better with another helping professional, we can offer information about possible referrals.

Your therapist will normally conduct an intake first. This is an evaluation of your needs at this time in your life, as well as a history of your strengths and life experiences. Your therapist may also provide recommendations for a physical, medical, or neurological examination, psychological testing, psychiatric evaluation for medication, or records from past therapy.

If you and your therapist agrees to begin psychotherapy, we will discuss scheduling one 55-minute session (one appointment hour of 55 minutes duration) per week, at a time you agree on, although you and your therapist may agree that some sessions should be longer or more frequent.

You have the right to:

• Ask questions about your therapist’s philosophy of therapy, experience with the problem at hand, your treatment plan, and the procedures used. They will explain their usual methods to you

• End your work together at any time without moral, legal, or financial obligation beyond payment due for completed sessions.

You will collaborate with your therapist about the best time to end therapy, which is typically once you have reached the therapeutic goals you created initially.

Should you decide between sessions to withdraw from therapy, you are requested to attend at least one additional session to discuss your reasons with your therapist. Therapy termination can sometimes be the result of misinterpretation, miscommunication, or the painfulness of the material under discussion.

Therefore, open communication is encouraged before a final decision is made. Should you decide to terminate therapy with your therapist but wish to continue with someone else, they will provide you with names of other qualified therapists.

If a problem of any type (e.g., financial, scheduling, therapy approach, communication) arises during the course of therapy, please bring it up with your therapist for discussion.

As a condition of being in treatment, we ask that you not undertake any other form of simultaneous therapy without first bringing it up for discussion and mutual decision-making.

When another form of mental health treatment is undertaken, your therapist will need to obtain an open mutual release of information that will be maintained with the other treating professional(s) to facilitate communication and to avoid miscommunication.

As your primary therapist, they have professional responsibility for your overall psychological treatment and additional therapy should be coordinated within the main treatment.

In general, the privacy of all communications between a client and a therapist is protected by law, and your therapist can only release information about your work to others with your written permission. But there are a few exceptions.

• You have the right to prevent your therapist from providing any information about your treatment in most legal proceedings. However, in some legal situations, such as child custody proceedings and proceedings in which your emotional condition is an important element, a judge may order the testimony of your therapist if they determine that the issues demand it, and we must comply with that court order.

• There are some situations in which your therapist is legally obligated to take action to protect others from harm, even if we have to reveal some information about a client’s treatment. For example, if your therapist believes that a child, elderly, or disabled person is being abused or has been abused, they must make a report to the appropriate state agency.

• If your therapist believes that a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person, they are required to take protective actions. These actions may include notifying the potential victim, contacting the police, or seeking hospitalization for the client. If the client threatens to harm themselves, your therapist may be obligated to seek hospitalization for the client or to contact family members or others who can help provide protection. If a similar situation occurs in the course of your work with your therapist, they will attempt to fully discuss it with you before taking any action and to involve you in the action.

• Your therapist may occasionally find it helpful to consult other professionals about a case. During a consultation, the therapist makes every effort to avoid revealing the identity of their client. The consultant is also legally bound to keep the information confidential. Ordinarily, they will not tell you about these consultations unless they believe that it is important to your work together.

Your therapist will be happy to discuss these issues with you and provide clarification.