About psychotherapy
If you are hurting
inside, or your life just doesn’t seem to be working, talking with
friends or family members can sometimes help you feel a little better for
a little while. Unfortunately the most well meaning friend can’t provide
therapy. Therapy is a treatment process that uses specialized techniques
that have been designed to offer effective, long-lasting help for people
suffering from a wide range of difficulties, such as emotional distress,
anxiety, marital strife, fears, a significant loss, or a clinical
disorder. Therapy can also help fulfill aspirations for personal growth or
self-improvement.
One of the biggest misconceptions about therapy is that seeing a therapist
is a sign of weakness. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Recognizing
the need for help and seeking professional therapy is a sign of both
strength and your determination to live a productive and meaningful life!
Working together, you and your therapist will identify your goals—what
you want to have happen—and work towards improving your symptoms and
life. Therapy has one clear and definite purpose: that
something of positive value and constructive usefulness will come out of
it for you. This can come
from not only insight into your life and behavior but from making changes.
Therapy has often been called the “talking
cure,” since the exchange of words between the client and therapist can
appear to be the most obvious form of communication that is going on. In
reality, therapy offers a much richer experience than the simple exchange
of words and advice. The thoughts and feelings you share and the
professional techniques the therapist uses are not nearly as important as
the relationship you build together. Because the relationship with the
therapist is so essential to the effectiveness of the process, it is very
important that you find someone with whom you feel a comfortable
connection, a therapist who makes you feel safe.
As therapy progresses and your trust in the therapist’s non-judgmental
acceptance of your thoughts and feelings is established, you will actually
use the relationship as an opportunity to reshape significant emotional
experiences and work through problems in your life. In therapy, you
intentionally make yourself vulnerable to another human being and you may
talk about some things that are very painful for you. However, it is the
very process of trusting that it’s safe to release your feelings—the
good and the bad--and knowing that the therapeutic relationship permits
you to safely explore deeply felt sources of conflict and dissatisfaction
that will finally allow you to make lasting, positive changes in your
life.
Please call (703) 550-4848 for additional information or to schedule an appointment. For directions to my office location click HERE
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