FAQ's: 

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How can therapy help?

 

Therapy can help you better understand and reframe your problems and concerns so that you can move more freely and clearly within your life. It can teach you specific emotional and social skills to benefit both work and relationships. Therapy can also help you gain a sense of peace and closure around past traumas.  A therapist’s office can be a sanctuary where you are free to express private thoughts and struggles. Friends and family members can provide excellent emotional support, but a therapist can give you a trained, and more impartial, perspective on your life and your struggles.

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Why do people go to therapy?  Do I really need it?

 

Sometimes life is difficult and we know why.  A painful relationship, the death of a family member, job loss, illness... sometimes this type of clear external jolt can send us to seek the understanding, support and tools we may not be fully experiencing from our personal relationships.

Other times we can become stuck in a feeling such as anger, sadness, agitation, lonliness, fear, anxiety or panic and be confused about the intensity and origins of the experience.  Persisting low self-esteem, depression, addictions, spiritual conflicts and creative blocks can also move us toward seeking help. People seeking psychotherapy are often ready to meet the challenges in their lives and are ready to make changes in their lives.  They ar self aware enough to know or are coming to understand that in life, sometimes we are the support for others and sometimes we too must lean.  

If you are looking to gain relief and life benefitting tools to move through current difficulties as well as face future challenges, therapy may be right for you. 

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What is therapy like? 

 

Each person has different issues and goals for therapy and so therapy can be different depending on the individual. In general, you can expect to discuss the current events happening in your life, your personal history relevant to your issue and report any insights gained from the previous therapy session. Depending on your specific needs, therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns or your desire for more personal development.  It is most common to schedule regular weekly sessions with your therapist. The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life. Therefore, in addition to the work you do in therapy sessions, your therapist may suggest some things you can do outside of therapy to support your process - such as reading a pertinent book, journaling on specific topics, noting particular behaviors, etc.  Two important criteria for effective therapy is the feeling of safety with your therapist and beginnings of new insights and positive behaviors pertaining to your particular challenges. 

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Does what we talk about in therapy remain confidential? 

 

Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist's office. Every therapist should provide a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (you’re your Physician, Naturopath, Attorney), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission.

​State law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:

​Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders to the authorities, including Child Protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources.

If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threated to harm another person. If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threated to harm another person.

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What about medication vs. psychotherapy?   

 

It is well established that the long-term solution to mental and emotional problems and the pain they cause cannot be solved solely by medication. Instead of just treating the symptom, therapy addresses the cause of distress and the behavior patterns that curb progress. You can best achieve sustainable growth and a greater sense of well-being with an integrative approach to wellness. Working with your medical doctor, you can determine what's best for you. In some cases a combination of medication and therapy is the right course of action.

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