We are psychologists who provide psychotherapy services for adults, adolescents and children, with specialties in:
- Individual Psychotherapy - Parent Consultation - Family Therapy - Couples Therapy - Sex Therapy - Sexual Addiction/Compulsion - Adult Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse - Group Therapy for Men Molested as Children
What To Expect From Psychotherapy Excerpted fromHarvard Women’s Health Watch
Mental health isn’t much
different from physical health. None of us is in perfect condition, and
we occasionally need to seek professional help for our aches and pains.
However, finding treatment for
physical conditions often seems a much easier matter than locating the
right type of psychotherapy. This may be because we as patients don’t
have as clear a notion of what to expect. Success is usually determined
by the subjective judgment of two people - patient and therapist.
Thus, it’s important to find a
therapist with whom you can work well if you’re considering
psychotherapy, whether for crisis intervention, help in negotiating a
life transition, treatment for a well-defined condition like depression,
or assistance in changing unproductive patterns in your life. There are
several types of mental-health professional to whom you might turn. Of
those who most often provide mental-health services, psychiatrists
(MD's) alone can prescribe psychoactive medications; psychologists
(PHDs), social workers (LC.SWs or MSWs), and mental-health nurses must
work with physicians when they think drug treatment might be a necessary
or helpful adjunct.
Regardless of your therapist’s
academic credentials, he or she should do a thorough evaluation during
the first few visits. Like your medical clinician, your therapist needs a
good deal of factual information about you, including an account of
your current psychological problem, a history of past emotional
problems, a medical history, the medications you’re currently taking and
your past use of drugs and alcohol. The therapist should also get a
family history of mental disorder. Like inherited physical diseases,
hereditary forms of mental illness often become evident at different
stages of life. He or she needs to be able to rule out other potential
causes of the problem, such as physical illness or the side effects of
drugs.
Also during the first few
visits, the two of you will design a plan for your therapy that
addresses your problem and establishes realistic goals. For example,
some people may want only to relieve a depression; others may desire to
change deep-seat mindsets and behaviors. If you’re working within the
guidelines of a health-insurance plan, your goals may have to be
directed at what can reasonably accomplished in a limited period. Of
course, if your therapist is in private practice you can negotiate a fee
or contract to continue therapy beyond that point.
*The patient/therapist
relationship. Psychotherapy works by using a relationship to effect
change. Because it’s impossible for therapy to be successful if your
relationship with your therapist isn’t, it is very important that you’re
generally comfortable with the person and the setting. This isn’t to
say that you won’t feel ill at ease form time to time as new issues
emerge for you to confront. Throughout, you should have the sense that
your therapist is attentive and available; you should feel that he or
she is someone whom you can trust and whom you feel has your best
interests at heart.
*The process. Therapy is a
series of conversations rather than a monologue. Contrary to the
stereotype, therapist are not supposed to be coolly detached observers;
expect your therapist to ask questions, make comments, and offer
opinions and suggestions. He or she should not so much control the
discussion as try to help you move it in the most productive direction.
As you talk, the therapist will
not only be paying close attention to the content of the conversation,
but also will be forming impressions of you, noting things you might not
be aware of, and monitoring the emotions you engender in him or her.
*Transference. The therapy
setting encourages the development of transference - the unconscious act
of superimposing feelings derived from past relationships onto present
ones - which can then be used to help the patient understand his or her
reactions. At times, you may feel anger, hostility, or overwhelming love
for your therapist. The therapist will often deal with these responses
in a way that you don’t anticipate - for example, by greeting a hostile
outburst with curiosity rather than anger - and in doing so may help you
to recognize, analyze, and interpret your emotions.
Therapists are trained not to
act on the patient’s feelings or their own, but to use their emotional
response to patients as a guide to understanding the patient’s
interpersonal issues and style. You can’t expect your therapist to be
physically affectionate or to become involved in your activities. In
fact, such behavior is considered a boundary violation and a breach of
professional ethics.
Psychotherapy has many
purposes. It can provide relief from anxiety, phobia, obsession,
compulsion, or depression. It can facilitate mourning or enable you to
resolve a crisis. It can make it possible for you to change those things
you can and to bear situations that can’t be altered. It may also help
you to know and like yourself a little better. At the end of the
process, you should be happier and more productive.
