Does going to psychotherapy mean that I am sick?
The short answer to this question is No. The majority of people who go to psychotherapy are high functioning. Yet, certain aspects of their lives present with difficulties. Some pursue psychotherapy for treatment of depression or anxiety, others need help to cope with major life transitions: the stress of a new job, the arrival of a baby in the family, a divorce, the loss of a loved one, and so on. Psychotherapy can be beneficial both under happy or difficult circumstances.
Is therapy a luxury?
Research continues to show the importance of taking care of our mental health. Our mind is the center of our lives. Emotional issues can be crippling not only to the individual who suffers from them but to their family and to the people who depend on them. The price paid for not addressing emotional issue shows that therapy is not a luxury but the appropriate way to take care of emotional distress. The federal government recognizes the value of mental health treatment with its passage in 2008 of the mental health parity law.
Is going to therapy a sign of weakness?
Quite the opposite, going to therapy reflects your strength and openness to exploring and facing your problems. Serious psychotherapists have been in long term therapy themselves. They know first hand the importance of self knowledge and the courage it takes to undertake such exploration.Therapy assists you by building on the internal resources you already possess.
Is is true that therapy is all about blaming your parents?
Therapy is not about assigning blame to anybody. The idea that therapists blame it all on the parents is false. Therapists try to understand your point of view first and foremost because you are the person they are working with. Therapy is not about "fixing" or blaming others.
It is often the case that one feels the need to talk about their past, their family, their upbringing. This is the context from which we can begin to understand ourselves and the way in which we experience life.
Will it take years for me to see the benefits of therapy?
Everyone moves at a different pace during psychotherapy because it is a very individualized process. The length of time to see the benefits also depends on the nature of what brings you to therapy. When a person comes to therapy with chronic or long lasting problems, therapy can take longer than with issues that are more defined. This is something you and your psychologist can talk about in the initial meetings. Your psychologist's goal is not to keep you on as a client forever but to help you to function better on your own.
My problems are because of my past; I can’t change my past, so how can therapy help me?
It is true that our past cannot be changed. But our past lives in us forever. In fact we experience our past in our everyday experiences. The way we react to things or anticipate them, the way in which we feel moved or angered by events, the way in which we chose our friends and careers are all linked to our very individual history. In essence, we do have access to our past all the time, and in that sense we have an open window to it in ourselves. By exploring memories of people and events, and our relationships throughout life, we are effectively changing the past as it lives inside us. In remembering, and re-experiencing those emotions it is possible to get a second chance to fix what might have gone wrong the first time around.
Will therapy help me after I stop going to see the therapist?
Actually, the main goal of psychotherapy is to provide the basis for you to continue to grow and develop in a positive way on your own. The tools you will acquire from this experience should stay with you for the rest of your life and allow you to gain trust in your own ability to lead your life. If your therapeutic experience is a positive one, it will be of use as a springboard and will continue to be a source of support after it ends.
Any other questions you might have are welcome. Feel free to ask your therapist anything you would like to know about the process.
The short answer to this question is No. The majority of people who go to psychotherapy are high functioning. Yet, certain aspects of their lives present with difficulties. Some pursue psychotherapy for treatment of depression or anxiety, others need help to cope with major life transitions: the stress of a new job, the arrival of a baby in the family, a divorce, the loss of a loved one, and so on. Psychotherapy can be beneficial both under happy or difficult circumstances.
Is therapy a luxury?
Research continues to show the importance of taking care of our mental health. Our mind is the center of our lives. Emotional issues can be crippling not only to the individual who suffers from them but to their family and to the people who depend on them. The price paid for not addressing emotional issue shows that therapy is not a luxury but the appropriate way to take care of emotional distress. The federal government recognizes the value of mental health treatment with its passage in 2008 of the mental health parity law.
Is going to therapy a sign of weakness?
Quite the opposite, going to therapy reflects your strength and openness to exploring and facing your problems. Serious psychotherapists have been in long term therapy themselves. They know first hand the importance of self knowledge and the courage it takes to undertake such exploration.Therapy assists you by building on the internal resources you already possess.
Is is true that therapy is all about blaming your parents?
Therapy is not about assigning blame to anybody. The idea that therapists blame it all on the parents is false. Therapists try to understand your point of view first and foremost because you are the person they are working with. Therapy is not about "fixing" or blaming others.
It is often the case that one feels the need to talk about their past, their family, their upbringing. This is the context from which we can begin to understand ourselves and the way in which we experience life.
Will it take years for me to see the benefits of therapy?
Everyone moves at a different pace during psychotherapy because it is a very individualized process. The length of time to see the benefits also depends on the nature of what brings you to therapy. When a person comes to therapy with chronic or long lasting problems, therapy can take longer than with issues that are more defined. This is something you and your psychologist can talk about in the initial meetings. Your psychologist's goal is not to keep you on as a client forever but to help you to function better on your own.
My problems are because of my past; I can’t change my past, so how can therapy help me?
It is true that our past cannot be changed. But our past lives in us forever. In fact we experience our past in our everyday experiences. The way we react to things or anticipate them, the way in which we feel moved or angered by events, the way in which we chose our friends and careers are all linked to our very individual history. In essence, we do have access to our past all the time, and in that sense we have an open window to it in ourselves. By exploring memories of people and events, and our relationships throughout life, we are effectively changing the past as it lives inside us. In remembering, and re-experiencing those emotions it is possible to get a second chance to fix what might have gone wrong the first time around.
Will therapy help me after I stop going to see the therapist?
Actually, the main goal of psychotherapy is to provide the basis for you to continue to grow and develop in a positive way on your own. The tools you will acquire from this experience should stay with you for the rest of your life and allow you to gain trust in your own ability to lead your life. If your therapeutic experience is a positive one, it will be of use as a springboard and will continue to be a source of support after it ends.
Any other questions you might have are welcome. Feel free to ask your therapist anything you would like to know about the process.