Get Started
with Therapy

Getting started is easy, and you have a few ways to do it.

If you already have a therapist in mind, you can use our online self-scheduling tool to choose an appointment that works for you. You can also call the therapist directly—their phone number is listed on their bio page.

Or, if you have no idea who you want to see, call The Center for Growth’s main number and let us help. Tell us a little about what’s going on, what you’re hoping for, your schedule, and anything else that matters to you. We know our therapists well and can help you think through who might be a good fit.

Your first appointment is an intake session. It’s a chance for you and your therapist to get to know each other, understand what brought you to therapy, and begin figuring out where you want to go.

You don’t need the right words. You don’t need a diagnosis. And you definitely don’t need to have everything figured out before you call.

You just need a place to start. We can help with the rest.

Yes. We love in-person therapy and offer it in Philadelphia, PA; Ocean City, NJ; Providence, RI; and Fayetteville, GA.

There is something special about sitting in a room with another person. For some clients, leaving everyday life behind for an hour, putting down the phone, and having a space devoted entirely to themselves makes it easier to settle in and connect.

But in-person isn’t automatically better.

Online therapy can be wonderful too. You can talk from the privacy of your home, find a quiet office, or sometimes put on your headphones and take your therapist for a walk. Some clients move between in-person and virtual sessions depending on their needs and their therapist’s availability.

We encourage you to think about what you are coming to therapy for, not just which format is most convenient.

If you’re struggling to connect with people, make friends, read social cues, or feel comfortable being with another person—or if you’re seeking therapy for a child—we may strongly encourage in-person therapy. Being physically together can become part of the therapeutic work.

For trauma therapy, couples therapy, and some highly emotional work, virtual therapy can sometimes offer an unexpected advantage. A little physical distance can help some people feel safer and more able to stay present.

With couples, virtual therapy can also change the dynamic in an interesting way. Instead of feeling as though the therapist is sitting between you as a referee, the therapist can become more of a guide, someone almost sitting on your shoulder helping helping the two of you have a different kind of dialogue with each other.

There isn’t one right answer.

The best setting is the one that helps you feel safe enough to be honest, connected enough to do the work, and challenged enough to grow.

Yes. Online therapy is an important part of what we do.

The Center for Growth has licensed therapists providing teletherapy to clients in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia, when clinically appropriate and permitted by licensing rules.

Online therapy can make life much easier. If you have young children, a demanding job, travel frequently, live far from one of our offices, have transportation or health limitations, or simply feel more comfortable talking from home, virtual therapy may be a great fit.

And online therapy doesn’t have to feel distant.

A skilled therapist can still notice when your energy changes, when you hesitate, when you’re avoiding something, when something lands, or when the words you’re saying don’t quite match what you’re feeling.

The important part is finding a place where you can actually talk. Your bedroom with your partner listening from the other side of the door probably isn’t going to feel very private. Your parked car, home office, backyard, or another genuinely private space might work beautifully.

Online versus in-person therapy isn’t really about which one is better. It’s about where you can do your best work.

We are an out-of-network therapy practice, which means The Center for Growth does not accept or bill health insurance directly.

That doesn’t necessarily mean your insurance won’t help pay for therapy.

If your plan includes out-of-network mental health benefits, you may be able to receive reimbursement for part of what you spend. We can provide the appropriate documentation for you to submit to your insurance company.

We made the decision to remain out-of-network in part because we care deeply about privacy and want our clients to have as much control as possible over when an insurance company becomes involved in their mental health care.

We also know that therapy has to be financially realistic. We offer clinicians at different fee levels, including lower-fee options.

If you want to understand the numbers before starting, take a look at our Do You Accept Insurance? and How to Use Out-of-Network Benefits for Therapy guides. We walk you through deductibles, reimbursement, superbills, our standard 53-minute sessions, CPT codes, HSA/FSA funds, and questions to ask your insurance company.

We want you to understand the financial piece before you make decisions about your care.

Absolutely. We actually want you to.

Choosing a therapist is personal.

You can read our therapists’ profiles, look at their specialties, watch their videos, and read the self-help articles they’ve written. Those things can tell you more than where someone went to school or how many letters they have after their name.

Listen to how they talk. Notice how they think. Do you like their sense of humor? Do you want someone warm and gentle or someone who will be more direct? Can you imagine telling this person something embarrassing, painful, complicated, or deeply personal?

Credentials and experience matter.

Chemistry matters too.

And sometimes you simply can’t know from a website.

If you want help choosing, call us. We know our therapists as people as well as clinicians, and we can help you think about who might fit you.

If you meet someone and the chemistry isn’t there, that’s useful information too. You can try someone else.

You aren’t just looking for a good therapist. You’re looking for a good therapist for you.

That’s completely fine. You don’t need to know.

You don’t need to diagnose yourself before you come to therapy. You don’t need to know which therapeutic approach you need or whether your problem belongs in individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, sex therapy, or somewhere else.

Just tell us what life feels like right now.

Maybe you’re anxious and don’t understand why. Maybe you and your partner keep having the same fight. Maybe sex has disappeared—or become complicated. Maybe your teenager is struggling. Maybe you’re successful on paper but miserable inside. Maybe something from years ago suddenly feels very present. Or maybe you can’t even identify the problem.

You just know something needs to change.

That’s enough.

Therapy often begins with one problem and eventually reveals something deeper or simply different. Part of our job is helping you understand what is actually happening—not expecting you to arrive already knowing.

Bring us the problem as you understand it today. We’ll start there together.