Resources, and what to do between sessions.

If you need help right now

My practice isn't set up for crisis response, and I don't want anyone waiting on a reply from me when they need someone immediately. These are available around the clock and are free:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988. Available nationwide, any time, for any kind of emotional crisis, not only thoughts of suicide.
• Colorado Crisis Services. Call 1-844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255. Colorado's statewide line, staffed by trained counselors, with walk-in centers across the Front Range.
• If you're in immediate physical danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Calling one of these doesn't start a process you can't stop. Most calls are a conversation with a person who is good at this, and nothing more.

Save both numbers to your phone so they're there before you need them. It adds two contacts and nothing else.

Between sessions

A few things people find useful in the gap between appointments. None of them are homework.

• Write down the thing you want to bring next time. One line, on your phone. The urgent thought on Tuesday is often gone by Friday's session, and it was usually the important one.
• Notice what your body does before a hard conversation, a difficult place, or a particular person. Jaw, shoulders, stomach, breath. You don't have to change it. Noticing is the skill.
• Lower the bar on sleep and food. When things are bad, the question isn't "am I taking care of myself," it's "did I eat something and lie down." Those count.
• Email if something needs saying before we meet. I read between-session messages and I'll respond within two business days. For anything that can't wait, use the lines above.

Lower-cost therapy in the Denver area

If I'm not the right fit, or the fee doesn't work even at a reduced rate, there are good options:

• University training clinics. Graduate students in counseling and psychology programs provide therapy under licensed supervision at low rates. Denver-area universities with clinical programs run them; search the school's name with "counseling clinic."
• Community mental health centers. Colorado has a network of community centers that take Medicaid and offer sliding fees. Colorado Crisis Services can connect you to the one for your county.
• Open Path Collective. A nonprofit directory of therapists who have agreed to see clients at reduced rates, searchable by location and specialty.

I'm glad to make a specific suggestion if you tell me a little about what you're looking for. Use the contact page.

For professionals

If you're a clinician, case manager, attorney, or school counselor looking to refer someone, there's a page for you with what I take, what I don't, and how to make a referral that lands.