Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for an active effort on your part. In order for therapy to be most successful you will have to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home.

Our first few sessions will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan to follow. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should feel comfortable with the therapist you select. If you have questions or concerns about our progress we should discuss them whenever they arise. Research shows that regular and active discussion of the therapeutic process leads to more favorable outcomes.

Therapy often lead to better relationships, solutions to specific problems and significant reductions in feelings of distress. It can increase feelings of esteem and help a person to manage their thoughts and emotions more effectively.

Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration or loneliness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have benefits for people who go through it.

What To Expect

Typically, you should expect to sit for 1-2 sessions before you and I get a sense of how to proceed. Well talk about the “presenting problem” or what brings you to therapy. I will share some information about my approach to therapy and also answer questions the client may have.

We may spend some time talking about past experiences as a way to explore how they may be related to symptoms in the current day, but will not spend a lot of time “rehashing” details about the past.

My approach is very active and collaborative, examining how the person might changes in the current day, for instance changing perspectives or beliefs about themselves and the world at the same time learning skills to manage outside of therapy in the real world.

Therapy is approached keeping your unique history, personality, strengths and resources in mind. I’ve been trained in a variety of approaches I can use however I would prefer to adjust what I know to fit you rather then the other way around.

I believe your therapy should have clearly defined goals with periodic discussions and feedback about progress. A client who is investing time, effort and money should feel like they are making progress, and not talking endlessly about problems with no clear objective. Of course the value of having a safe, supportive, and respectful setting to speak freely should not be underestimated, and research has shown that these factors are critical for an effective therapeutic experience.