There is no better investment than allowing time to reflect, to make sense, to explore, to let go, to heal, to choose a direction that will bring forth a fuller life. Give Yourself the Gift of Therapy
What is individual therapy:
Individual psychotherapy is a process of self discovery that takes place in the interaction between you and a trained professional - Psychologist, Psychotherapist or Counsellor. Over a series of meetings you will begin to open up about yourself and your life and will begin to gain access to feelings and understandings that have not been accessible to you before. Your therapist is there as a trained collaborator who listens intently, asks questions, and facilitates the process that allows you to go deeper into your own experience. You will emerge on the other side with greater self-awareness, a changed sense of self, and access to a wider range of feelings.
Solution-focussed vs. process-oriented approaches:
There are many solution-focussed approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. They offer short-term commitment to therapy and mainly focus on dealing with symptoms, such as unpleasant emotions or repetitive thought patterns. Process-oriented approaches such as Psychodynamic Psychotherapy tend to focus on helping you uncover the root causes and stuck emotions that contribute to current life distress. While engaging in therapy you may experience temporary periods of discomfort as you begin to work through past trauma or confront psychological conflicts you have previously been avoiding.
Therapeutic relationship:
There are many approaches and therapeutic modalities and what remains common in all of them is that they all agree on the importance of the therapeutic relationship. In essence therapeutic work can only be successful if the relationship between client and therapist is one of trust, care, openness, and honesty. This has little to do with theories and methods; it is all about who we are and how we relate to one another. The therapeutic relationship and the confidential space between therapist and client are the vehicles to change. Through dialogue, active engagement, and collaboration, you and your therapist together will assess and examine the issue(s) that concern you in a holistic way taking into account your past experiences, current circumstances, and desires for the future.
Who can benefit:
People visit a psychotherapist in order to deal with many different issues. The issues range from very specific problems to a more vague sense that life is missing something or that something is wrong without knowing exactly what. Most experience a limitation in their life or are weighed down by certain unpleasant emotions such as guilt, shame, anger, sadness, or fear. If your life is missing something or if your personal limitations are holding you back from living the life you want, engaging in therapy might be the solution for you.