Individual Therapy

1060648526How does 1:1 individual therapy work?

Initially, there’s a brief orientation on what to expect in therapy. We discuss confidentiality and how your personal information, which is HIPAA compliant, is safe and protected by law (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act).

We also will discuss your expectations and what you hope to gain in therapy. During this time, we will have an opportunity to evaluate whether I’m the right match as a therapist for you.

The session usually runs for 45 minutes to an hour. We’ll explore the personal issues you’ve been struggling with and try to work through them.

Often, problems are not always resolvable, but you can learn to manage and cope with them. You will learn and be equipped with new coping skills to resolve personal issues, reduce stress, manage your distress symptoms, and improve your overall quality of life.

Change is rarely instant.

Usually, the change process is long-term, with many moving parts – consisting of different stages depending on where the individual is now.

Some people come to therapy because someone forced them to, especially those who are court-ordered. Others will come for different reasons but may not be aware of another problem of concern.

I will provide a few examples of people with different problems and situations.

272440361Jorge’s problem had an underlying cause.

Some people may know the problem but don’t think it’s a big deal.

For instance, my client Jorge* came in for anger management but was unaware of how much stress he was dealing with and how it contributed to his anger issues.

With these folks, I like to provide information to increase awareness of the problem and discuss this with them.

Sally* feared making a change.

Some people know the problem and how it’s hurting them and others. What’s holding them back is the fear of “losing or giving up something” that’s been part of their whole life.

For instance, Sally usually avoided social interactions and realized that her social life would never improve if she avoided people. However, she was afraid of making any changes because it was unclear what she needed to do to deal with her anxiety with people.

In therapy, she would identify what’s holding her back. Also, she would identify the advantages and disadvantages of changing her behavior.

1271086444Some make the change slowly.

Others have decided to make a change since they see the benefits of change and are ready to move forward. However, they like to move slowly and “test the waters,” so to speak. I work with them in developing a plan to resolve their problems. We identify potential obstacles and discuss how to move past them.

For instance, John* often used food to help him cope with stress. He was sick and tired of “emotional overeating” and wanted to change this unhealthy pattern. We discussed developing healthy coping skills to manage strong urges to overeat and replace them with healthier behaviors.

Most importantly, John received support to move along this process.

Frank* sought maintenance.

Many people have already succeeded in making a change but need ongoing support to maintain it.

Frank was doing well in coping with his ex-girlfriend. However, he realized that he would need ongoing support to deal with his ex-girlfriend and other issues with which he struggled.

Furthermore, he did not have anyone to turn to for support.

2139711927Individual therapy addresses a plethora of issues.

As the examples above show, individuals seek therapy for many reasons. Some seek help making a life-changing decision. Others struggle with relationships or anger issues.

Sometimes, individual therapy is used with family or couples therapy on a case-by-case basis. Everyone is part of a system, so it’s better if the partner or family member is present in the session because they can provide information to help the individual.

No matter the problem, big or small, individual therapy provides a safe place to become more self-aware, explore options, learn coping skills, become more confident in social interactions, and many other issues.

Don’t isolate yourself and fail to deal with your issues alone. We can work together to help you process what’s on your mind, so you can move forward.

*Names and stories are composite narratives and do not reflect actual clients.