The therapeutic process gives you an opportunity to explore your issue in-depth. Together we will determine which factors in your life have lead you to where you are today, which parts are adaptive and maladaptive, and what needs to happen in order to help you live a more satisfying and fulfilling life. We also talk about the type of coping strategies that have worked for you in the past and what you could do in order to continue incorporating helpful coping styles into your life. Depending on your concern, we also explore a wide range of strategies that may help to alleviate your symptoms presently as well as in the future if new concerns arise.
When clients connect with their therapist and feel safe, heard, and understood, therapy has numerous benefits. Some of the benefits that have been empirically validated by research include increased coping skills, happier relationships toward self and others, greater self-acceptance, decreased anxiety, enhanced social skills, improvement in boundary setting, and improvement in emotion regulation. Additionally, when people experience the benefits of therapy, they are more able to contribute to the world in beneficial ways.
The duration of therapy varies based on individual needs. Sometimes therapy is brief with approximately 1-3 sessions and sometimes clients need more. Often it is difficult to determine how long therapy will last because new topics may arise unexpectedly in a session as clients explore their concerns in-depth. However, if you are concerned about the length of therapy we can discuss this in the initial session and by determining your goals, we can implement a plan that works for you.
Everything that we discuss in therapy remains private so that we can cultivate a healthy relationship and establish a safe environment for you to explore your concerns. There are a few exceptions to confidentiality, which are 1) Harm to self 2) Harm to others 3) Court subpoena. Please note that if I do in the rare case have to breach confidentiality I will let you know first and give you a chance to mend the situation. I would also always show you your notes beforehand if I ever, in the rare circumstance, need to release information from our sessions. We will go through confidentiality thoroughly in the initial session and I am happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Therapy sessions run between 45-50 minutes.
Having friends to talk to and provide emotional support can be very helpful for the healing process. However, for some individuals, talking to friends and family is not enough to get them where they want to be. If you believe that you aren't getting all the support you need from friends and family, then it may be in your best interest to seek professional guidance. Through counselling, you may gain insight into your experiences in ways that you and your friends could have overlooked in the past. With the incorporation of various counselling models you could also gain awareness of some of the thoughts and emotions that have prevented you from attaining your goals. By viewing your situation from a new and improved perspective you may gain a sense of control and empowerment over your life, which may have been a struggle to achieve without professional guidance.
Individuals seek therapy for a variety of reasons. Sometimes individuals seek therapy due to longstanding issues such as depression or dysfunctional eating patterns, and sometimes clients come due to a recent unexpected circumstance, such as the death of a loved one. Whatever the reason, therapy gives clients an opportunity to express their concerns without a fear of judgment or rejection. Therapy can also help clients discover resources for coping that were initially out of their awareness. Therapy can help you gain a sense of control over your life by coping in ways that move you closer toward the person you want to be.
How often you see me is entirely your choice. Depending on the client and the issue, the frequency of sessions vary. I typically see clients once a week, which gives them sufficient time to process the therapeutic content and complete any tasks or experiments prior to the next session.
