How it works
How therapy works with me
If you've never been to therapy, the biggest barrier usually isn't cost or scheduling — it's not knowing what will happen. This page removes that.
From first message onwards
First contact
You message me on WhatsApp. I reply with the practical details — format, duration, available times and the session fee — and we arrange a first conversation.
First session
Fifty minutes by video call. You tell me what brought you; I ask about history, context and what you've already tried. At the end I tell you what I've understood and propose a direction. If someone else or another format would serve you better, I say so.
Assessment and mapping
Early sessions establish the pattern: what triggers it, what maintains it, what has worked before. For ADHD, this includes standardised instruments and a developmental timeline.
Agreed goals
We write down where we're heading, in observable terms. "Start the report before 11pm" is a goal. "Be a better person" is not.
Intervention
Cognitive restructuring, graded exposure, behavioural activation, DBT skills training, external structures for organisation — chosen according to what the map showed.
Review
We stop periodically to check the goals against what has actually changed. If it isn't changing, that doesn't stay unspoken — we discuss it and adjust.
Ending
The aim of CBT is that you leave able to use the tools yourself. Endings are planned, not abrupt, and the door stays open.
The practical terms
- Length: 50 minutes per session.
- Frequency: usually weekly, at the same time. Regularity is part of the treatment, not a formality.
- Format: video call over an encrypted platform.
- Start time: sessions may begin 10 to 15 minutes after the agreed time. That window is needed to close the previous session and set up, and your full 50 minutes are preserved.
- Confidentiality: protected by the Brazilian Code of Professional Ethics for Psychologists. The exceptions are narrow, defined by law and tied to risk to life; I explain them in the first session.
- Fee: given directly at first contact.
What I don't do
- I don't prescribe medication — that is a physician's role.
- I don't make medical diagnoses. I carry out psychological assessment and refer on when the situation calls for it.
- I don't provide crisis or out-of-hours cover.
- I don't promise outcomes, timelines or a number of sessions to "fix" something.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
An approach built on the relationship between thoughts, emotions and behaviour. Rather than only discussing the problem, CBT identifies the patterns that keep it in place and tests concrete changes, with defined goals and regular review. It has the largest accumulated body of clinical research across several conditions, anxiety among them.
What is DBT and why might it appear in my sessions?
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, developed by Marsha Linehan, combines CBT strategies with structured skills training: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness. I bring those in when the difficulty isn't knowing what to do, but being able to act when emotion runs high.
Is there homework?
It's part of the method, but it isn't schoolwork. Usually small: noticing when a pattern shows up, testing one strategy in a specific situation, recording what happened. If it isn't fitting into your week, that's clinically useful information — we adjust rather than push.
Next step
A conversation before you decide
You don't need to arrive with the problem explained, or know the name of what you're feeling. Send a message describing it in your own words, and I'll explain how the work would go from there.
Want a feel for her work first? Follow on Instagram @sabrinasteele.