What to Expect in an Individual Session with me
We will begin each session with a short breath exercise or meditation in order to become present and grounded. Life can be busy and hectic. I will remind you to take time to engage in self-care activities daily such as taking a few moments to focus on your breath.
Every session will focus on your needs in the present moment. A session will include some combination of psychoeducation, introducing new skills, practicing new skills together, giving feedback/guidance, and whatever else is needed to support you.
I am a proponent of "homework." I will give assignments that are customized to you. We only meet briefly in comparison to all of the hours outside of therapy, so some structure outside of sessions supplement therapy very well. Homework assignments can be challenging ("Write a letter to someone that has hurt you") and fun ("Take your dog on a walk daily and notice the various sights, sounds and smells while on the walk").
As with most relationships, a trusting therapist-client relationship can take time to build. You may click with a therapist right away. It may take more time. I encourage every new client to give it at least 3 sessions. If I am not a good fit, I will gladly provide referrals. You are courageous for taking the first step towards your emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Do I need therapy?
How Do I Know if I Need Therapy?
Most of us face struggles at some point in our lives. These struggles may include stress at work, difficulty with a romantic partner, or problems with a family member. Alternatively, struggles may include emotional symptoms such as depression or anxiety, behavioral problems such as having difficulty throwing useless items away or drinking alcohol too often, and cognitive symptoms such as repetitive upsetting thoughts or uncontrolled worry. Sometimes, life's struggles can be eased by taking better care of yourself, and perhaps talking about the issues with a supportive friend or family member.
But there may be times when these steps don't resolve the issue. When this happens, it makes sense to consider seeking the help of a qualified licensed psychologist. How do you know if therapy is needed?
Two general guidelines can be helpful when considering whether you or someone you love could benefit from therapy. First, is the problem distressing? And second, is it interfering with some aspect of life?
When thinking about distress, here are some issues to consider:
Do you or someone close to you spend some amount of time every week thinking about the problem?
Is the problem embarrassing, to the point that you want to hide from others?
Over the past few months, has the problem reduced your quality of life?
When thinking about interference, some other issues may deserve consideration:
Does the problem take up considerable time (e.g., more than an hour per day)?
Have you curtailed your work or educational ambitions because of the problem?
Are you rearranging your lifestyle to accommodate the problem?
A “yes” response to any of these questions suggests that you might wish to consider seeking professional help. Remember that sometimes a problem might be less upsetting to you than it is to the people around you. This does not automatically mean that you are in the know and your friends or family are over-reacting to you. Rather, this situation suggests that you may wish to think about why the people who care about you are upset.
Clearly, the decision to enter into therapy is a very personal one. Numerous advances have been made in the treatment of psychological disorders in the past decade and many therapies have been shown scientifically to be helpful. As you think about whether therapy might be helpful to you, remember that many psychological problems have been shown to be treatable using short-term therapy approaches.
Learning more about different approaches to therapy might also help you to discern if one of them sounds like a good fit with your personality and approach to life. Given the range of therapeutic options that are available, you don't need to continue to struggle with a problem that is upsetting and/or getting in the way of other parts of your life. Help is available.
Source: APA Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology)
Does teletherapy (virtual therapy) work?
Virtual Therapy is the New Normal
Sarah Fader, Contributor | CEO - Stigma Fighters
I’ve been in therapy since I was a teenager. It was overwhelming and scary to sit there and talk to a virtual stranger about my problems with anxiety. I used the word “virtual” on purpose. The title of this article is about virtual therapy. This means that people receive therapy through Skype or the Internet. I find this to be a particularly burgeoning field from my empirical experience as a mental health advocate. I’ve participated in life coaching through Skype and the phone, which I consider to be a form of virtual therapy. I believe this modality can be particularly useful to people who don’t have access to a variety of treatment options because they live in a remote area.
There is stigma associated with virtual therapy. I’ve heard it criticized as “not real treatment” and some mental health professionals refuse to provide Skype sessions due to being “purists.” I disagree with this stance vehemently. Virtual therapy can be tremendously helpful to people who are in the midst of a depressive episode and cannot leave the house. It can also be helpful to the busy professional person who doesn’t necessarily have the opportunity to travel to an actual therapist’s office.
Places to get virtual therapy
One excellent resource for virtual or online therapy is BetterHelp. There are a variety of ways to connect with your therapist on this site. The therapists are all licensed and qualified to provide professional mental healthcare. Here are the methods that you will be able to use to contact your mental health professional:
Messaging with your therapist - This can be useful for quick questions you may have about a challenging life situation or even in depth conversations.
Chatting live with your therapist - using a live chat option, clients are able to talk to their therapist and discuss their problems. I feel that this would be the best option for me, since I happen to be a verbose person and I am able to articulate myself with words quite well, as you see from this article.
Speaking over the phone with your counselor - Bringing it back to the 90’s when the phone was a predominant mode of communication, you are welcome to speak to your therapist over the phone. I miss talking on the phone a lot. I personally enjoy it, and if I were to use virtual therapy, I would most certainly choose this option.
Video conferencing with your counselor - This is a fantastic option for people who are visually oriented. It helps to see a person’s face when you are discussing your life challenges. Having a video option allows a person to truly feel connected to their counselor
The efficacy of online therapy is something that some therapists debate. However, popular opinion is that it is helpful. In this article on Psychology Today by Dr. Luo questions if online therapy right for everyone. He states: “Since psychotherapy is variable, and the quality of psychotherapy is difficult to measure.” I would argue that the quality of any therapy (online or in person) is difficult to quantify or measure. The way that you know if therapy is helping you is contingent upon whether your life seems more manageable.
There is help out there for you, and it could be with a virtually-based therapist. The great thing about virtual therapy is that it incorporates different types of learners. We (as human beings) each process information differently. I happen to be an auditory learner, meaning I process information best when I hear told to me. Other people may be inclined to process information through doing, this would be considered kinesthetic learning. While others understand new information through a visual component. Then there are tactile learners, who need a “hands-on” approach. What I like about virtual therapy is that it incorporates most of the common learning styles. If you are visual you can use the video chat option or if you are auditory you can speak on the phone.
Virtual therapy is a great means of mental health treatment. I’d suggest giving it a try if you are open to it. It may be a great fit for you!
Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/virtual-therapy-is-the-new-normal_us_5911c6b0e4b046ea176aeef3