Individual therapy—also known as psychotherapy, talk therapy, or counseling—is a collaborative process between therapist and client that aims to facilitate change and improve quality of life.

Psychotherapy is a way to treat people with a mental disorder by helping them understand their illness. It teaches people strategies and gives them tools to deal with stress and unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. Psychotherapy helps participants manage their symptoms better and function at their best in every day life. Sometimes, psychotherapy alone may be the best treatment for a person, depending on the illness and its severity. Other times, psychotherapy is combined with medications. Therapists work with an individual to devise an appropriate treatment plan.

Psychotherapy, therefore, is a process focused on helping you heal and learn more constructive ways to deal with the problems or issues within your life. It can also be a supportive process when going through a difficult period or under increased stress, such as starting a new career or going through a divorce.

Generally, psychotherapy is recommended whenever a person is grappling with a life, relationship or work issue or a specific mental health concern. These issues or concerns are causing the individual a great deal of pain or upset for longer than a few days. There are exceptions to this general rule. But, for the most part, there is no harm to going into therapy even if you’re not entirely certain you would benefit from it. Millions of people visit a psychotherapist every year, and most research shows that people who do so benefit from the interaction. Most therapists will also be honest with you if they believe you won’t benefit or in their opinion, don’t need psychotherapy.

Typically, most people see their therapist once a week for 50 minutes. This may be due to the recommendation of a psychiatrist who prescribes medications to bring stability with you. However, both psychiatrist and a therapist may not fully help you to recover from persistent and severe mental illness. You may then go through (Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program PRP), a strong recovery process that is highly recommended for you.

At psychotherapy, you and your therapist decide upon which specific changes you would like to make in your life. You will follow therapeutic goals that will often be broken down into smaller attainable objectives and put into a formal treatment plan. Most psychotherapists focus on helping you to achieve those goals. Often psychotherapy will help teach people about their disorder, and suggest coping mechanisms that the person may find more effective.

Most psychotherapy today is short-term and lasts less than a year. With psychotherapy, medications, and PRP, most common mental disorders can often be successfully treated in this time frame.

Psychotherapy is most successful when the individual enters therapy on their own and has a strong desire to change. If you don’t want to change, change will be slow in coming. Change means altering those aspects of your life that aren’t working for you any longer, or are contributing to your problems or ongoing issues. It is also best to keep an open mind while in psychotherapy, and be willing to try out new things that ordinarily you may not do. Therapy is often about challenging one’s existing set of beliefs and often, one’s very self. It is most successful when a person is able and willing to try to do this in a safe and supportive environment.

Please sign up into Individual Psychotherapy sessions by requesting An Appointment