• Menu

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Home > About > FAQ

• What is Counseling?

• What is psychotherapy like?

• How is psychotherapy different for children and adolescents?

• What is group therapy like?

• How do I choose the right therapist?

• Should I use insurance?

• How long does therapy take?

• What is Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)?

• What is Couples Therapy?

• What is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)?

• What is EMDR?

• What is Family Therapy?

• What is Group Therapy?

• What is Individual Therapy?

• What is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?

• What is IMAGO?

• What is Play Therapy?

What is Counseling?

"Once you decide that a particular therapist is likely to be a useful guide through unexplored territory in your life, the work can begin. What do you do next?

Your primary responsibility in psychotherapy is to work toward becoming more aware of your experiences, thoughts, feelings, and memories, and to talk about them during the therapy session. The awareness may be about any aspect of your present or past life. It may be about the therapy or the therapist, about night dreams, daydreams and fantasies. It may be about hopes, joys, sorrows, fears, and relationships-anything that may come to mind during the session. Although people new to psychotherapy often try to "prepare" for therapy sessions by creating an agenda or deciding in advance what to talk about, they end up trusting that the process itself will bring to mind highly useful material. Sometimes it is the sequence of topics that are mentioned or the recall of events that appear to have been "forgotten" that provide important clues to what is going on for you below the surface. It may take time for you to feel convinced that your therapist is vitally interested in hearing about your ordinary as well as unusual experiences, and that she or he will not be judgmental or shaming no matter what you reveal or talk about.

It is sometimes particularly useful to report and talk about dreams, uncomfortable feelings such as anger and disappointment, and feelings of warmth or longing. Dreams can provide a useful window to that part of your inner life that is harder to access directly. Feelings that arise in a psychotherapy session may also have been an important part of relationships with important people in your past and can be linked to important memories. The therapist will therefore encourage you to talk freely about-rather than act on-feelings that may come up about him or her.

The process of revealing thoughts and experiences that are uncomfortable, painful, or laden with shame or guilt is important in the course of therapy. Indeed, simply talking at length about the details of such experiences in the presence of someone who is interested and empathic tends to be helpful, since it reduces the degree to which you feel alone in the experience or ashamed of some aspect of it. Revealing joyful experiences or points of pride and delight is also important."

- americanmentalhealth.com
See more at: https://www.americanmentalhealth.com/articletherapyexperience.trust

What is psychotherapy like?

The ultimate goal of psychotherapy is for the client to become more aware of their feelings, thoughts, memories, and experiences, past and present. This is done through conversation about day to day occurrences, unusual experiences and even dreams. The psychotherapist is there to act as a non-judgmental third party and to help shed some light on what may be happening below the surface that may even be uncomfortable or painful, but necessary in order to heal and move forward.

How is psychotherapy different for children and adolescents?

Children and adolescents are constantly changing biologically and emotionally affecting their behavior therefore therapy has to cater to that. In addition children have fewer coping skills and sometimes are unable to express their distress verbally so it is expressed in other ways like eating or sleeping problems, lashing out and irritability. Depending on the child's problem the therapist will approach the situation in a variety of ways, many times even asking the whole family to be apart of treatment.

What is group therapy like?

Group therapy creates a safe atmosphere for clients to come together and share. This type of safe environment offers members the chance to speak openly and honestly about issues going on in their lives without the fear of being judged. The group aspect also allows for shared experiences giving clients the chance to learn from one another and support one another.

How do I choose the right therapist?

It is important to chose a therapist that you feel comfortable talking with. If you are a male you may feel more comfortable talking with another male and same goes for females. It is also important to consider the person's age, and how long they've been practicing. One other thing to consider is what the clinician specializes in. There are many different types of therapies out there and you want to make sure that you choose a clinician that specializes in what will be best for your treatment. All of this information is available on the therapists About Me page.

Should I use insurance?

This is tricky because using insurance requires a medical diagnoses, such as anxiety or depression, and this diagnoses becomes a part of your medical record. Some insurance companies put a cap on how many sessions you can receive and may ask to see treatment notes and remain up to date on progress. However, paying out of pocket for therapy can get expensive. Therefore, it is important to become aware of the specifics of your insurance policies as well as discuss the matter with your clinician.

How long does therapy take?

That all depends on treatment, your clinician and you. Typically sessions run between a half hour and 50 minutes. However, the number of sessions a person might need all depends on a variety of factors such as the type of treatment being done, progress within each session, as well as the role of insurance if a person chooses to go that route.

What is Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that treats problems and boosts happiness by modifying dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. Unlike traditional Freudian psychoanalysis, which probes childhood wounds to get at the root causes of conflict, CBT focuses on solutions, encouraging patients to challenge distorted cognitions and change destructive patterns of behavior. - Psychology Today

What is Couples Therapy?

Couple therapy is a means of resolving problems and conflicts that couples have not been able to handle effectively on their own. It involves both partners sitting down with a trained professional to discuss their thoughts and feelings. The aim is to help them gain a better understanding of themselves and their partner, to decide if they need and want to make changes, and if so, to help them to do so.

What is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)?

The Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT, is the psychological acupressure technique routinely used and most highly recommended to optimize your emotional health. Emotional health is absolutely essential to your physical health and healing - no matter how devoted you are to the proper diet and lifestyle, you will not achieve your body's ideal healing and preventative powers if emotional barriers stand in your way.

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.

What is Family Therapy?

During therapy sessions, the family's strengths are used to help them handle their problems. All members take responsibility for problems. Some family members may need to change their behavior more than others.
Family therapy is a very active type of therapy, and family members are often given assignments. For example, parents may be asked to delegate more responsibilities to their children.
The number of sessions required varies, depending on the severity of the problems and the willingness of the members to participate in therapy. The family and the therapist set mutual goals and discuss the length of time expected to achieve the goals. Not all members of the family attend each session.

What is Group Therapy?

Group Psychotherapy is a unique therapy modality which offers the opportunity for interpersonal experience for growth in a safe supportive setting. Groups may be weekly or bi-weekly, time-limited or on-going, specific to a topic or issue, or general and open-ended.

What is Individual Therapy?

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. Therapy can help people confront barriers that interfere with emotional and mental well-being, and it can also increase positive feelings such as compassion, self-esteem, love, courage, and peace. Many people find they enjoy the therapeutic journey of becoming more self-aware, and they may pursue ongoing psychotherapy as a means of self-growth and self-actualization.

What is IFS?

IFS-The Internal Family Systems Model is an integrative approach to psychotherapy combining systems thinking with the idea that the mind is made up of sub-personalities, each with its own viewpoint and qualities. It uses the family systems theory to understand how these collections of sub-personalities are organized. IFS was developed by Richard C.
- Schwartz, Ph.D.

What is IMAGO?

Imago Relationship Therapy, created by Harville Hendrix Ph.D is an effective way to create stronger relationships because it helps us become more aware of the way that we are all deeply interconnected. It offers insights into the unconscious agenda we bring to our relationships. With this information, we can begin to cooperate with this hidden agenda. With the Imago tools we can decrease defensiveness and reactivity in order to experience more intimacy and connection. As a result, we can choose to grow together in a safe and creative, non-controlling healing way.

What is Play Therapy?

Play Therapy uses a variety of play and creative arts techniques (the 'Play Therapy Tool-Kit (TM)' to alleviate chronic, mild and moderate psychological and emotional conditions in children that are causing behavioural problems and/or are preventing children from realising their potential.