Benefits of Therapy

In therapy, your best interests are the primary focus. As a trained experienced psychotherapist I can offer a fresh perspective on problems and help you explore potential solutions. I believe good therapy involves positive change in the way we handle stress, emotions, relationships, and ultimately the challenges of being human. I am there to guide you but what you get out of therapy is highly-related to what you put in. Clients who are willing to dedicate effort, commitment, and an openness to trying new things often see the best results.

Some benefits of therapy include:

• Releasing anxiety and negativity
• Engaging in better self-care
• Addressing and clearing the after-effects of harmful experiences
• Increasing emotional connection in relationships
• Easing anger, depression and other emotional pressures
• Improving judgment and decision-making
• Reclaiming your sense of humor, play and wonder
• Expanding self-awareness and inner-trust
• Clarifying your personal goals and values and connecting to your life’s purpose
• Learning ways to bolster yourself in times of stress and adversity
• Experiencing emotions in a more calm and grounded way
• Developing better communication skills
• Getting “unstuck” from unhealthy emotional patterns and self-defeating behaviors

The first few sessions typically are spent gathering information on your background and the issues and concerns that brought you to therapy. An important first step is to consider your goals. Ask yourself “How would I like to be different by the end of therapy?” For your initial session, it will be helpful to think about how and when your concerns started, how you’ve reacted to them, what has or has not helped, and what you hope to accomplish. You can also think about changes you’d like to make at work, home and in relationships. What experiences do you want to have more or less often? Keep in mind that it is normal to feel a bit nervous about starting therapy. I understand this and make every effort to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible.

To best prepare for ongoing meetings, you should reflect upon what was covered in our last session and any new issues that have occurred since then. At times, you may be asked to take certain actions outside of the therapy sessions, such as reading a relevant book, keeping records, or practicing a new skill. If I invited you to do some home-learning activities, you should be prepared to update me on your progress. For therapy to “work” you must be an active participant, both in and outside of therapy sessions.

What you can do to be successful in therapy:

• Adopt a stance of  openness and exploration
• Embrace a meditation practice
• Attend consistently
• Start a body-based activity like walking or yoga
• Recognize that significant things in your life may need to change
• Follow through on home-learning suggestions and readings
• Collaborate by letting me know what’s working well for you in therapy and also if there’s anything you’d like to see adjusted