Somewhere between 20 and 57 percent of people who go to a first therapy session never go to a second one. That number comes from decades of research on why counseling does or does not stick, and a meta-analysis of 146 studies puts the average dropout rate around 35 percent. There are a lot of reasons behind that, but one of the biggest is simple: most people walk into their first session with no idea what is about to happen, and the gap between what they imagined and what they experienced is enough to keep them from coming back.
So here is exactly what a first session with me looks like, start to finish. No mystery, no couch clichés.
Before you arrive
When you schedule, I will send you a few short forms: a consent form and a new client information form. Filling them out ahead of time means your first 50 minutes are spent talking, not doing paperwork. You can find them on the forms page.
The office is at 3959 South Nova Road in Port Orange, in the second building in the back of the parking lot. Come through the two doors located at the center of the building; there are chairs straight ahead. You do not need to check in with anyone. I will come out and get you.
That detail matters more than it sounds. For a lot of men, the worst part of counseling is the walk in: the not knowing where to sit, whether you are supposed to announce yourself, who is going to see you there. So I will say it plainly – you sit down, and I come to you.
The first conversation
A session is 50 minutes. The first one is mostly a conversation about what brought you to the point of deciding counseling might help. That decision usually did not happen overnight. Something built up – a marriage strain, an anger pattern you keep repeating, a habit you cannot break, a son who will not talk to you – and I want to understand the whole picture, not just the headline.
We will go over parts of the forms you filled out, and I will ask questions. You will not be forced to relive anything you are not ready to talk about. You set the pace. My job in session one is to understand where you are and where you want to be, and to start sketching the route between those two points.
By the end, we will have the beginnings of a course of action. Not a diagnosis stamped on your forehead. A direction.
What it costs and how long it takes
Sessions are $100 for 50 minutes, due at the time of the session. I keep rates posted publicly because guessing at cost is one more reason men put this off.
How many sessions? It depends on you and your situation, and I will not pretend otherwise. What I can tell you is the shape of it: as you make progress on your goals, we space sessions further apart until you feel ready to stop regular sessions. You are always welcome back. Counseling is not a subscription you are trapped in; it is a season with a purpose.
Yes, there is homework
Between sessions I will usually give you something to do – journaling, reading, or questions to sit with. The 50 minutes in the room is where we find the work; the week in between is where the work happens. Men in particular tend to do well with this. Having a concrete assignment beats being told to “reflect.”
The faith part, honestly
One10 is a faith-based practice. For some men that is the whole reason they call; for others it raises a fear that counseling will turn into a sermon. It will not. My conviction is that real transformation happens when a man turns toward what is true and lets faith, honesty, and self-awareness do deeper work than symptom management. If you want Scripture in the room, it will be there. If you are not sure what you believe, you are still welcome, and you will not be ambushed.
One honest disclosure
I am a registered mental health counselor intern in Florida, which means I practice under the supervision of a licensed counselor at Family Care Counseling Center – a practice that has been serving this area for four decades. Supervision is not a limitation; it means my work is reviewed by someone with forty years of experience. You effectively get two sets of eyes on your care.
If you are thinking about it
The research on first sessions cuts both ways: some people leave after one session because it was not what they expected, and some leave because one honest conversation was genuinely all they needed. Either way, the men who never have the first conversation do not get either outcome.
If you have questions before scheduling, the FAQ page covers the practical details, or reach out here and ask me directly.
If you are in crisis right now, do not wait for an appointment. Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.