Is therapy right for me?
Seeking out therapy is an individual choice. There are many reasons why people come to therapy. Sometimes it is to deal with long-standing psychological issues, or problems with anxiety or depression. Other times it is in response to unexpected changes in one's life such as a divorce or work transition. Many seek the advice of a therapist as they pursue their own personal exploration and growth. Working with a therapist can help provide insight, support, and new strategies for all types of life challenges. Therapy can help address many types of issues including depression, anxiety, conflict, grief, stress management, body-image issues, and general life transitions. Therapy is right for anyone who is interested in getting the most out of their life by taking responsibility, creating greater self-awareness, and working towards change in their lives.
Every therapy session is unique and caters to each individual and their specific goals. During therapy sessions it is standard to talk about the primary issues and concerns in your life. It is common to schedule a series of weekly sessions, where each session lasts 50 minutes. Sometimes individuals who are going through a particularly difficult challenge may request more time per session or more than one session per week. Therapy can be short-term, focusing on a specific issue or longer-term, addressing more complex issues or ongoing personal growth. There may be times when you are asked to take certain actions outside of the therapy sessions, such as reading a relevant book or keeping records to track certain behaviors. Between sessions it is important process what has been discussed and integrate it into your life. For therapy to be most effective you must be an active participant, both during and between the sessions.
What benefits can I expect from working with a therapist?
Therapy can provide insight and new perspectives into life's challenges and can help create solutions to difficult problems. Many people find that working with a therapist can enhance personal development, improve relationships and family dynamics, and can ease the challenges of daily life. Sometimes, just having someone there to listen is helpful. Overall, people in therapy tend to have lower levels of anxiety and stress, decreased conflict, and improved quality of life.
Some of the benefits available from therapy include:
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Developing new skills for handling stress and anxiety
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Modifying unhealthy behavior and long-standing patterns
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Attaining insight into personal patterns and behavior
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Increasing confidence, peace, vitality, and well-being
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Improving ways to manage anger, depression and moods
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Discovering new ways to solve problems
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Navigating life’s obstacles more effectively
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Improving listening and communication skills
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Enhancing the overall quality of life
To determine if you have mental health coverage, the first thing you should do is check with your insurance carrier. Check your coverage carefully and find the answers to the following questions:
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Do I have mental health benefits?
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What is my deductible and has it been met?
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How many sessions per calendar year does my plan cover?
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How much does my plan cover for an out-of-network provider?
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What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
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Is approval required from my primary care physician?
Providers at Attainable Solutions offer reduced-fee services based on consumer needs. Please ask your therapist if they provide such services.
In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and a psychotherapist. Information is not disclosed without written permission. However, there are number of exceptions to this rule. Exceptions include:
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Suspected child abuse or dependant adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.
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If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person/s. The therapist must notify the police and inform the intended victim.
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If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in insuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, further measures may be taken without their permission in order to ensure their safety.
What is sex therapy?
Psychotherapy very often results in significant relief from mental health problems, such as feelings of anxiety, depression, and interpersonal conflicts. It is a process that begins with carefully assessing the presenting issues or problems to identify the steps toward resolving key issues. Therapy often goes into depth about various issues and usually focuses on dealing with the past. The therapy seeks to uncover the 'why' to issues/problems.
Coaching it is a distinct profession that helps clients solve problems, reach goals, design a plan of action and make decisions. It helps clients identify what is important to them and helps them align their thoughts, words, and actions, accordingly. Coaching it is more action-oriented and focuses on the present and the future. It helps clients determine their own answers.
What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a state of inner absorption, concentration and focused attention. It is like using a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun and make them more powerful. Similarly, when our minds are concentrated and focused, we are able to use our minds more powerfully. Because hypnosis allows people to use more of their potential, learning self-hypnosis is the ultimate act of self-control.
Finally, hypnosis may be used for unconscious exploration, to better understand underlying motivations or identify whether past events or experiences are associated with causing a problem. Hypnosis avoids the critical censor of the conscious mind, which often defeats what we know to be in our best interests. The effectiveness of hypnosis appears to lie in the way in which it bypasses the critical observation and interference of the conscious mind, allowing the client's intentions for change to take effect.
Some individuals seem to have higher natural hypnotic talent or potential that may allow them to benefit more readily from hypnosis. It is important to keep in mind that hypnosis is like any other therapeutic modality: it is of major benefit to some patients with some problems, and it is helpful with many other patients, but individual responses vary.
People often fear that being hypnotized will make them lose control, surrender their will, and result in their being dominated, but a hypnotic state is not the same thing as gullibility or weakness. Many people base their assumptions about hypnotism on stage acts but fail to take into account that stage hypnotists screen their volunteers to select those who are cooperative, with possible exhibitionist tendencies, as well as responsive to hypnosis. Stage acts help create a myth about hypnosis which discourages people from seeking legitimate hypnotherapy.
In hypnosis, the patient is not under the control of the therapist. Hypnosis is not something imposed on people, but something they do for themselves. A hypnotherapist simply serves as a facilitator to guide them.
Does a person remember what took place when in hypnosis?
Adapted from information provided on the website of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis (www.asch.net)