FAQs
Is therapy right for me?
There are many approaches to making desired changes in one’s life. For some, talking things through with a trusted friend, family member or church leader brings about the desired change. For others, these avenues have not brought them either the desired changes or the relief from problematic symptoms that are causing emotional pain or turmoil in one’s life. In general, people seek out the support of a therapist when they are looking for a specially trained and impartial third party to listen to and to respond with proven solutions to one’s specific problems. Most people find this avenue highly effective in decreasing the problematic symptoms in one’s life and in creating the desired change.
How can therapy help me?
The benefits of therapy vary from person to person but, in general, therapists provide support, increased coping strategies for individualized issues such as relationship problems, anxiety, depression, unresolved childhood issues, creative blocks, stress management and grief. Most often, therapists provide a new perspective and help you, the client, uncover the solution that fits best for your particular issue. The benefits of therapy are dependent on how open a person is to the process and how willing one is to put into practice the new skills and insight one is uncovering. Some of these benefits could include:
- Increased interpersonal skills
- Increased sense of happiness and well-being
- Decrease in destructive habits such as overeating, compulsive spending, excessive alcohol use
- Increased ability to manage stress levels
- Increased ability to manage anger, depression, anxiety or general emotional pressures
- Improved listening skills and communication skills
- Development of new, healthier behavior patterns and letting go of old behaviors
- Improving self-confidence and self-esteem
What is therapy like?
Each therapy session is as unique as the individual who seeks support, since the therapy process in driven by the goals of the client. At the first session, the therapist will want to know what it is you, the client, are wanting to gain from therapy. The therapist will then ask a series of questions to understand both your current life situation, any pertinent symptoms one is experiencing and then will explore one’s history as it is relevant to any of the outcomes you have identified for the process. After the initial session, the client and therapist will agree on the frequency of their meetings: in general, the client and the therapist will establish a schedule of either weekly or every other week meetings. The frequency of sessions will be assessed throughout the therapy process and adjusted as determined by the client and therapist. Generally, clients who get the most out of therapy are active participants in the process. This means that clients will practice, outside of the therapy process, the new skills they have learned and will bring to the next therapy session any observations or thoughts regarding one’s reactions to these new patterns or behaviors. In this way, the client and therapist can be seen as a team in which each person is dependent on the others feedback to continually fine-tune the therapy to maximize the benefits and potential for achieving one’s goals.