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Several benefits are available from participating in therapy.
-Therapists can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, grief, stress management, body image issues and creative blocks.
-Many people also find that counselors can be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, marriage issues, and the hassles of daily life.
-Therapists can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution.
The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:
– Developing skills for improving your relationships
-Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy
-Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
-Managing anger, grief, depression, and other emotional pressures
-Improving communications and listening skills
-Changing old behavior patterns and developing new ones
-Discovering new ways to solve problems in your family or marriage
-Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
Everyone goes through challenging situations in life, and while you may have successfully navigated through other difficulties you’ve faced, there’s nothing wrong with seeking out extra support when you need it. In fact, therapy is for people who have enough self-awareness to realize they need a helping hand, and that is something to be admired. By seeking therapy, you are taking responsibility by recognizing lost potential and making a commitment to changing the situation.
Therapy provides long-lasting benefits and support, giving you the tools you need to avoid triggers, re-direct damaging patterns, and overcome whatever challenges you face.
Others may be at a point where they are ready to learn more about themselves or want to be more effective with their goals in life. In short, people seeking psychotherapy are ready to meet the challenges in their lives and ready to make changes in their lives.
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 our distress and the behavior patterns that curb our 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, and in some cases a combination of medication and therapy is the right course of action.
View detailed information about my rates and insurance information HERE.
View detailed information about my rates and insurance information HERE.
To determine if you have mental health coverage through your insurance carrier, the first thing you should do is call them. Check your coverage carefully and make sure you understand their answers. Some helpful questions you can ask them:
-What are my mental health benefits?
-What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
-How many therapy sessions does my plan cover?
-How much does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider?
-Is approval required from my primary care physician?
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 (your Physician, Naturopath, Attorney), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission.
However, 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 requires therapists to report 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 threatened to harm another person.
It’s most common to schedule regular weekly sessions with your therapist. As we progress appointments occur every other week, then eventually monthly and end up with check-ins as needed.
Many times when, you find a therapist that you have a good relationship with, you may come back with life’s ups and downs for help processing. You will always be welcome at Balance!
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.
Per the American Psychiatric Association (APA), most people who attend therapy show some benefit from it, it’s been shown to improve emotions and behaviors and to be linked with positive changes in the brain and body.
Sometimes the therapeutic process will help you gain immediate results and sometimes it will take some time. It’s like learning a new skill, it takes practice and training to learn anything new.
I like to look at counseling like planting a garden, especially with pre-teens and teens. We keep planting seeds and eventually they grow and thrive, but it takes time, water, sunlight to nourish a seed to produce a leaf, let alone fruit. Counseling can also take time, skill practice and new ideas to see what works and practice to create new habits. It takes at least 30 days to create a new habit or way of thinking!
It’s important to understand that you will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process. The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life.
Therefore, beyond 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 or taking action on your goals. People seeking psychotherapy are ready to make positive changes in their lives, are open to new perspectives and take responsibility for their lives.
Although the goals of counseling with all age ranges are similar the strategies will be different.
The adolescent brain is different from an adult brain, so processing emotions and problems will look different. Children and teens may need more active engagement like the use of games, books, worksheets, art and play while many adults need active engagement through talk therapy.
I use active therapy for both but many days I will be on the floor making glitter bottles or worry monsters with kids and with adults I may be pulling out yoga mats for stretching/meditation or just having engaging conversations with the use of some therapy worksheets.
You will be invited to be a part of the initial intake session (the 1st appointment), to provide insight and help me build comfort with your child in the therapeutic relationship. I like to keep my parents involved in the counseling process and want to hear when anything new comes up or if there are any changes.
We (your child and I) may invite you into a session to discuss different concerns or talk about progress. If I see there is something you can help with at home like a behavior plan or assisting with your child’s homework, I will let you know. The therapeutic relationship is very important to my role in helping, so I will ask that besides safety concerns we keep most things confidential within the counseling environment, but I don’t mind sharing what we are working on or I may ask for input on what you would like us to focus on. You are a very important part of the counseling process.
