be honest with yourself, examine your life, ask for help, and make changes.
For many of us, the idea of walking into someone’s office that we’ve never met and begin sharing our greatest fears, insecurities, feelings of self-doubt, hopes, and failures can be pretty daunting. But talking through your problems with a therapist who has the training and experience to understand what you’re going through can offer a fresh perspective and dedicated space to face life’s challenges.
By building a genuine, collaborative relationship with a therapist based in empathy, respect, understanding and non-judgment, you will learn how to navigate complex emotional experiences and get to the heart of what really matters.
Research shows two primary indicators that will determine the successful outcome of therapy:
The strength of the therapeutic relationship
Your commitment to the process
Because of this, it’s critical that you find a therapist with whom you have a good connection and feel safe disclosing personal details of your life. In this kind of relationship, you have the freedom to share anything you want. Nothing is off limits. Know that anything can be said during therapy confidentially. You will have the opportunity to reveal as little or as much as you'd like and at your own pace.
Some approaches you may encounter or ask for in session:
Existential Therapy
A philosophical therapeutic method that believes inner conflict is born from our confrontation with four primary dimensions of human existence: the inevitability of death, freedom and its inherent responsibility, existential isolation, and meaninglessness. It is by creating meaning in one’s life that we make decisions. From this lens, we can appreciate the brevity of life by viewing it from a bird’s eye perspective. A critical and holistic approach to therapy, one that truly gets to the core of the way you think, feel, and behave in the world, is through exploring the big ontological questions.
Positive Psychology
A branch of psychology that employs a scientific understanding of your strengths that allow you to thrive. It is based in research informing us how best to lead a meaningful, fulfilling life filled with love, work, play and awe. Through the lens of positive psychology, you will cultivate what is already good and whole. Focusing on the areas in which you are capable empowers you to navigate discomfort, feel naturally more engaged and aligned with the world, re-pattern old stories and beliefs that are no longer serving you, and align your life in a way that makes you truly come alive.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a fast developing area in mental health, emphasizing a focus on the present moment. By incorporating mindfulness into your daily life, you will begin to notice how this practice has wide-reaching effects on relationships, mental focus, health, and sense of contentment. The clinical value of this practice is evidenced in its ability to reduce depression, anxiety, chronic pain, substance use, and insomnia.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy is an insight-oriented therapy that focuses on unconscious processes as they manifest in your current life. This therapeutic approach will help you achieve greater self-awareness and to develop an understanding of how past events have affected your present. What you will experience in a session is an interactive and engaging exploration of your life-long patterns.
Relational Psychotherapy
This form of therapy is based on the idea that emotional well-being depends on having satisfying, mutual relationships. For these reasons, the secure relationship between therapist and client is particularly crucial as it becomes a new in-depth relationship that is supportive and strengthening. In counseling, you will experience empowerment and self-growth through an interpersonal connection with your therapist.
Post Traumatic Growth (PTG)
Post Traumatic Growth Psychology offers a vehicle for investigating the possibilities of personal change and growth occurring as the result of one’s struggle with a highly challenging, stressful, distressing or traumatic situation. While PTG does not suggest that there is an absence of suffering while newfound wisdom builds, it does appreciate that growth often occurs within the context of pain and loss. We know that stress is often the catalyst for growth to occur, and that PTG can increase resilience.
Therapy is a journey to help you discover more of yourself and achieve what you are truly capable of. If this resonates with you, you are in the right place. Please be in touch if you want to learn more about how this work may unfold.