“Therapy” or psychotherapy may sound like scary words to you. You might even feel frightened just reading this and considering picking up the phone to call me. That’s okay. That’s normal.
Asking for help can be very difficult for many of us. Sometimes we have little experience with not knowing how to fix things for ourselves. This is very common to many who decide to enter therapy. Therapy can help you find the tools to help yourself. We will work together not only to realize your goals, but to achieve them.
Many clients often walk into my office nervous or anxious, but quickly find themselves relaxed and more at ease than they ever expected.
Seeking professional assistance is a sign of courage and a willingness to deal with life’s many challenges. Every person has his or her own unique story and experience. It is a privilege when individuals choose to share their stories with me.
It is essential for each of us to discover our own way of being. Frequently, in therapy, people often feel frustrated because they don’t believe they have the ability to change their situation.
Therapy is a joint partnership between the client and the therapist. Together we will explore your goals, discover your personal potential, and find your own unique solutions to the challenges you face. And we can discover the ways in which you can learn to love yourself, allowing yourself the freedom to heal.
It is not always easy to face our problems or seek help. The daily stresses of life can build until we feel completely overwhelmed with life. Many who first come to therapy report feeling lost, alone, or depressed; and many feel confusion and hopelessness about the future. These feelings are very normal, yet most people feel as if they are falling apart.
It is important for each of us to allow ourselves the space to reflect upon our day to day life and our future. Therapy is just that opportunity. It allows us to work through some of the most difficult struggles life can impose on us in an atmosphere of acceptance and unconditional support. Therapy can help you work out solutions according to your own individual values and lifestyle.
Whether your journey involves healing from childhood wounds, achieving greater self-awareness and self-esteem, or improving relationships……you can have help facilitating change using your inner resources, while exploring your past, present, and future in a collaborative, supportive, and safe environment.
How can therapy help me?
A number of benefits are available from participating in therapy. Therapists can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, grief, stress management, body image issues, and creative blocks. Many people also find that counselors can be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, marriage issues, and the hassles of daily life. Therapists can also provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:
- Attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values
- Developing skills for improving your relationships
- Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy
- Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
- Managing anger, grief, depression, and other emotional pressures
- Improving communications and listening skills
- Changing old behavior patterns and developing new ones
- Discovering new ways to solve problems in your family or marriage
- Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
A therapist can help people gain insight into their feelings, change behaviors, resolve problems, or learn how to deal with feelings like stress, grief, loss, fear, and sadness (to name a few!).
Psychotherapy and counseling are the practices of healing your emotions, mind, body, and soul through tending your relationships with your self, your family, your friends, and/or your business associates.
Therapy is also helpful for serious problems that interfere with day-to-day life, such as physical or mental illness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one-third of adults in the United States have an emotional or substance abuse problem for which they need help. Also, nearly 25 percent of the adult population suffers at some point from depression or anxiety. Therapy can help your struggle with depression, anxiety disorders, and other emotional difficulties.
The National Mental Health Association suggests psychotherapy for people when:
They feel an overwhelming and prolonged sense of sadness and helplessness, and they lack hope in their lives.
These emotional difficulties make it hard to function from day to day. For example, you may be unable to concentrate on assignments and your job performance suffers as a result. Or you might be finding yourself in constant fight with the people in your life.
You may be troubled by emotional difficulties, which make it difficult relating to family members or close friends.
You might be having problems with interpersonal relationships. Therapy can help y0u make changes and find the peace you are seeking. Research shows emotional and physical health are closely linked, as such, therapy can improve your overall health.
Therapy can effectively decrease depression and anxiety, and related symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and nausea. More than 80 percent of people with depressive disorders improve when they receive appropriate treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Psychotherapy has also been found to increase survival time for heart surgery and cancer patients, and it can have a positive effect on the body’s immune system!
There are dozens of types of individual and family therapies, and there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to finding the best therapist for you. Research suggests that a therapist who is comfortable and confident with his/her therapy style and both lives out (or embodies) that philosophy and can communicate it to clients is most effective.
Good counseling and therapy are mirrors in which you can see yourself and your family more honestly and clearly. Many successful people characterize their therapist as “a primary physician for their emotional, psychological, relational, and even spiritual lives.” As a guide, mentor or coach, a good counselor is an objective, compassionate, and someone who can listen and be with you in any given moment. More than a problem solver him/herself, a therapist works with you to help you solve your own problems in your own way because you are the expert in your life (even when you may least feel that way!). A wise therapist can also be seen as a referral source to ideas, feelings, attitudes, issues, activities, resources, and people that could be helpful to you.
A crucial factor in successful counseling is feeling comfortable and confident about your therapist and view him/her as a trustworthy, caring, healthy, competent, and moral person who understands your problems and relates well to you and with you. It is most important that you feel engaged in a process that is transformational and fulfilling. So be a good consumer and choose your therapist carefully and wisely!
