FAQ

What can therapy do for me?

Many people think that therapy is only for people who are very ill and who can't function at all. The opposite is actually true: therapy is most helpful for people who function moderately well in their lives. Functioning moderately well, however, may be a far cry from functioning as well as we can.

You may have some lasting relationships and a satisfactory job, for example, but at the same time be spending a lot of energy uselessly in fears and anxieties, compulsions, and self doubt. Energy spent this way makes your accomplishments very exhausting efforts and may dampen your enthusiasm for life.

Therapy is collaborative work, not magic. You participate with the therapist you choose in defining your goals, learning more about yourself, understanding why your life and relationships are working the way they are, and experimenting with new ways of thinking, doing, and being. Your therapist will listen carefully, reflect back to you thoughts and feelings as they emerge, clarify, educate, and interpret for your greater awareness. Your role is to learn, think, reflect, struggle with change, develop courage, discover more about yourself, and understand and deal with the reality you have before you in a creative way.

While you cannot expect a stress-free life after therapy, you can certainly expect to recover more quickly from painful experiences, find greater support from others through them, and feel more competent as you navigate the challenges with your new skills and understanding.

FAQ

What can therapy do for me?

Many people think that therapy is only for people who are very ill and who can't function at all. The opposite is actually true: therapy is most helpful for people who function moderately well in their lives. Functioning moderately well, however, may be a far cry from functioning as well as we can.

You may have some lasting relationships and a satisfactory job, for example, but at the same time be spending a lot of energy uselessly in fears and anxieties, compulsions, and self doubt. Energy spent this way makes your accomplishments very exhausting efforts and may dampen your enthusiasm for life.

Therapy is collaborative work, not magic. You participate with the therapist you choose in defining your goals, learning more about yourself, understanding why your life and relationships are working the way they are, and experimenting with new ways of thinking, doing, and being. Your therapist will listen carefully, reflect back to you thoughts and feelings as they emerge, clarify, educate, and interpret for your greater awareness. Your role is to learn, think, reflect, struggle with change, develop courage, discover more about yourself, and understand and deal with the reality you have before you in a creative way.

While you cannot expect a stress-free life after therapy, you can certainly expect to recover more quickly from painful experiences, find greater support from others through them, and feel more competent as you navigate the challenges with your new skills and understanding.