If you have a broken arm, you go see a specialist to heal your broken bone. If you are having problems emotionally, then the natural thing to do is to meet with a mental health specialist to heal your heart, mind, and spirit. Our problems are not always tangible. If you have trouble with relationships, your mood, how you perceive the world around you, or in managing certain situations, then going to see a therapist or social worker is the most natural and often productive thing to do. The therapeutic experience can help you be the person you want to be.
Therapy works by talking with a trained professional in a safe and secure environment that is educated and familiar with your needs and goals. There are many reasons to see a therapist. The most important one is so you can start to feel better and gain insight into your experience and learn the best way for you to come to an acceptable solution. Common issues that bring people into therapy are:
| Problems with a spouse or partner, sibling, children, or co-workers |
| Difficulty coping with daily stressors |
| Exposure to trauma, abuse, violence, or neglect |
| Difficulty with life transitions |
You can expect therapy to help you sort though your concerns and develop goals to make positive changes in your life. Many people believe that you are 'ill' if you’re in therapy, which is not necessarily true. Everyone has problems and everyone needs help, at least sometimes! No one is perfect! No matter how you were referred, therapy aims to treat people who want to improve their level of emotional functioning. The goal of therapy is to look more deeply into the emotions, conflicts and distress behind the diagnostics.
Once you have contacted me, we will schedule your first appointment at which time, I will spend the hour gathering information about you and what you need in order to make an assessment or evaluation of how I can best help you achieve your goals.
During our first session I will take notes obtaining a developmental history, getting your family history, exploring any significant medical issues or traumas and discussing the presenting problem — or whatever circumstances or experiences lead you to explore therapy options. Once I have evaluated your needs, I will develop a working diagnosis and collaborate with you to develop a treatment plan to help you achieve your goals.
I will also make recommendations to you based on our conversations and my observations but the final decision is always yours. People want or need different things out of therapy. Sometimes people just want “symptom relief” or to get through a crisis. Other people want to explore how they got to where they are and why they make the choices they make.
In most of my clinical practice, I utilize psychodynamic theory. Psychodynamic therapy is based on listening and talking. It involves exploring past conflicts in relation to your current problems in order to make change possible. However, I come from a range of theoretical backgrounds, and therefore the exact nature of treatment offered would depend on what is needed by the client.
In order for you to achieve your therapeutic goals, you have to be willing and able to make a commitment to the therapeutic process. You can expect to do the work of changing at your own pace. To best meet the challenges that you face and gain insight into your feelings and experiences, a consistent time commitment is required. Often in addition to our talk sessions, I suggest books, behavioral exercises, and other interventions to facilitate the changes you want to make.
It is important that you find the therapist that is right for you and I sincerely hope that I can be of service to you. Therapy has the potential to allow you to begin to live your life the way you have always dreamed.
Make an appointment today by calling me at 312-498-2566.