Individuals

Individual psychotherapy can be many things: a journey of exploration; a time and space dedicated to healing; a relationship focused on support and growth. For someone who has not experienced psychotherapy before, it may at first feel awkward to enter into a relationship whose exclusive purpose is to focus on you. It may also be unclear as to how psychotherapy can help, or what issues it can help with. Some issues that bring people to therapy are feeling depressed or anxious, relationship difficulties, drug and alcohol problems, parenting,work-related issues, and phase of life problems (entering adulthood, learning to parent, mid-life crises, adjusting to retirement, etc). It is a very natural response to feel awkward or ill-equipped at times for the challenges life presents to us. Therapy is a place where individuals can get support, understanding, and a compassionate perspective to assist in meeting these challenges.

At times individual psychotherapy may involve unlearning old patterns, acknowledging painful experiences, and taking responsibility for things that are not easy to admit. These tasks, while difficult, can be made easier if you are witnessed by someone nonjudgmental and compassionate. The reward for this inner work of changing patterns and taking risks, is new behavior through which you can more easily achieve your goals and desires, and a more self-accepting and self-actualizing relationship with yourself.

Individual psychotherapy usually is conducted by meeting once per week, at the same day and time, for a 50-minute session. Often the session is spent talking, but other modalities may be used when appropriate: sand tray, art, writing, gestalt exercises, or role-plays. Whatever the techniques employed, my approach is always collaborative and non-pressured. It is important that you feel you have a voice in the direction of therapy, and a sense that it is yielding results that you value.

If you are interested in the possibility of working together, please call me for a free telephone interview to find out more about my work and to see how it would feel to work with me. If, during that conversation or a subsequent appointment, it becomes clear that we would not work well together, or if your needs fall outside of my scope of practice, I will be happy to provide you with appropriate referrals to other qualified practitioners.

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Individual Therapy Mental Health Links:

A web page of the National Mental Health Association, containing frequently asked questions and links to pages on specific topics. Includes information on depression, eating disorders, anxiety, etc.

From the website of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, this page addresses questions such as “What is a Marriage and Family Therapist?”, “ Why use a Marriage and Family Therapist?” etc.

Ten guidelines for finding the best mental health professional to meet your needs. Written by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Additional Links on this Topic