Everyone experiences pain and everyone faces challenges in life. You may sometimes feel you are trapped in
circumstances beyond your control. While you sometimes can't choose what happens in your life, you can choose
how you will react.
Psychotherapy may help individuals to manage stress, to improve mood, improve sleep, recover from a break-up,
recover from traumatic experiences, improve self-esteem, reduce anxiety, resolve interpersonal conflict, go
through life transitions, deal with illness, cope with the loss of a loved one and other personal issues.
Talking with a supportive person about what you are thinking and feeling may
be an enormous relief in itself. Feeling like someone understands what you are
going through may help you feel like a weight has been lifted off your chest.
Also, having some input from your therapist may help you find solutions to your
current difficulties.
Psychotherapy is a treatment options for mental health issues that is backed
by years of rigorous scientific research. The best research evidence, conclusively
shows that individual, group and couple/family psychotherapy are effective for a broad
range of disorders, symptoms and problems with children, adolescents, adults, and older
adults.
First, the therapist will ask you questions to determine the nature of your difficulties through an assessment session. After the initial assessment, some clinical feedback will be provided to you. Then the therapist and the patient will agree on therapy goals.
Through therapy we will look at past and present experiences that are related to your
difficulties in order to gain a deep understanding of your personal feelings and your personal
needs.
We will pay close attention to your inner dialogue and to what psychologists call our "automatic
thoughts". You will learn how some of your thoughts and behaviors are related and how to change some
of your personal patterns.
A strong alliance and trust must be present with your therapist. You must feel comfortable and safe with your therapist, and you must feel free to question any aspect of your therapy process. Remember, you are coming to therapy on a voluntary basis and you may chose to terminate your therapy at any time you chose fit.
Psychotherapy is not for crazy people. Psychotherapy is for people who are suffering and who have decided to look for ways to improve their quality of life. I always tell my patients that engaging in therapy in healthy sign. While it may be difficult to ask for help, it also means that they have enough self-awareness to realize they need a helping hand.
Getting social support is a very good thing, but your friends may not have the skills to help you
find solutions for what you are going through. Your friends may have valuable life experiences they
want to share with you, but they are not trained professionals and what has worked for them may not
work for you.
Psychotherapy is backed by years of scientific research evidencing it's efficacy. Also, friends may
try to cheer you up by changing topics and distracting you with other things, and while that may be
really good for the time being, it doesn't help much in improving your problem. In psychotherapy,
the focus is entirely on helping you, and on helping you live a more balanced emotional and personal
life.
Seeing a psychologist has nothing to do with being strong or not. Everyone is vulnerable at some point in their life, strength is not an absolute thing. You may be in fact very strong, and very confident in many areas of your life, but you may be feeling pain and vulnerability in some other areas of your life.
Whatever you are going through is important. You don't need to be diagnosed with a psychiatric problem to see a psychologist. Many people seek therapy everyday because they wish to gain more clarity in one area of their life.
I believe no one can be an effective therapist without being truly sensitive to other's feelings and have a deep respect and compassion their patients.
Are you feeling sad most if the time?
Is it difficult for you to fall asleep and stay asleep?
Do you feel you are not as interesting or important as others?
Do you worry that bad things are going to happen to you?
Is it difficult for you to know how to deal with anger and conflict?
Do you feel tired most of the time?
Do you feel confused about your future?
Are you experiencing physical pain that has no physical explanation?
Do you frequently feel like crying?
Do you worry that you are going to end up alone?
Are you recovering from a breakup?
Are you in a difficult relationship, but you or your partner feels like couple therapy is not an option?
If you've answered yes to
one or many of these questions, therapy may help you.