Psychotherapy
Thinking about taking that leap into seeing a therapist but unsure about what all therapy entails?
Fear not! I’ll share with you what psychotherapy is, how I conduct psychotherapy in my practice, and how it can help you.
Psychotherapy is considered ‘talk therapy,’ meaning a client meets with a licensed mental health professional to discuss presenting concerns and specific mental health disturbances. Psychotherapy can be a space for you to unpack and process many different life events as well as presenting dilemmas. One of the benefits of seeing a therapist is having a trained professional assist without being a part of your personal life. Talking to friends and family is valuable and very important, however, there may be feelings of shame, guilt, anxiety, etc., when voicing certain thoughts and feelings to them; as well, discussing certain traumas to a friend or a family member can be difficult, as they may have to find ways to safe guard their mental health. A licensed trained professional has the tools, knowledge, and mental health expertise to listen, guide, and challenge a client from a nonjudgemental lens.
Depending on the clinician, you may have a therapist consult with you on specific therapeutic techniques and modalities to help with providing the best mental health care as possible. You as the client can always request specific modalities and discuss with your therapist your therapeutic goals, wants and needs.
What are modalities?
Therapeutic modalities are specific methods of therapy that can help a client with a specific need. Here is a list of some modalities that are used in therapy. I will touch on some in depth in future blog posts.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis
Attachment-Based Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
EMDR
Existential Therapy
Feminist Therapy
Gestalt Therapy
Humanistic Therapy
Marriage and Family Therapy
Multicultural Therapy
Narrative Therapy
Solution Focused Brief Therapy
The Gottman Method Therapy
There are many more modalities that some therapist can pull from so please check their bio to see which type of therapy may suit you best. You can always reach out to a therapist and ask what techniques they use and how they use them in therapy.
Psychotherapy with yours truly!
Therapy with me is very conversational. I pull from multiple therapeutic methods in an integrative way to best assist my clients. The therapies I am most comfortable with are existential therapy, solution focused therapy, CBT, narrative therapy, mindfulness, and Gottman method relationship counseling. I should note that in relationship counseling I am Gottman method level 1 trained. Two more levels to go!!
I utilize humor to help with rapport building and assist with the normal awkwardness and anxiety in meeting for the first time. I also use a humanistic approach in therapy, meaning I share a bit about my life with my clients. This is never to take over therapy and talk solely about myself, but to assist in relating to an emotion or an experience. This tactic has helped my current clients feel heard, understood, and less alone in their thoughts and feelings.
I like to say that as a client of mine, you take full reign of therapy. I can be a sounding board, offer guidance and suggestions, and help challenge current thoughts/behaviors. Together, we will collaborate on the direction you want in life and in therapy.
Who is therapy really for?
Anyone and everyone, I feel! No one is exempt from having emotions, anxieties, depression, trauma, etc., so whether it’s discussing presenting stressors and concerns or wanting to work on past traumas and future anxieties, I believe therapy is for everyone. So, if you feel ready to take that next step and have a psychotherapist guide you in psychotherapy, shop around! Ask questions. Search for preferred preferences, such as gender, sexuality, religion, race, etc. Seek out a psychotherapist that you feel can best support, respect, and guide you.
