People come to therapy for many different reasons. Some of my clients have struggled with anxiety, depression, loss and grief, questions about their identity, difficult family histories, or feelings that they are unable to manage on their own. Clients may be having a hard time with life transitions or may be unable to create the relationships that they are wanting in their lives. There may be challenges at home or at work. There are many reasons to come to therapy and the process of therapy differs for every person. If there are areas where you feel stuck or overwhelmed, psychotherapy can help you to better understand the situation and make positive changes. Therapy brings into your awareness issues that may be weighing on you psychologically but which may be hidden from view. This process of unveiling creates space to make different choices.
I focus closely on the relationship that develops with each client. We pay attention to what is happening in the room when we are together. Feelings, thoughts, memories are evoked and together we make space to experience them and to try to understand them. Whatever struggles you are grappling with outside of therapy will express themselves in the therapy hour and in the therapeutic relationship. This will then allow us to attend more closely to those issues. We move as quickly or as slowly as you feel comfortable, trying to understand who you are in a deep and safe way. By reflecting on your life and gaining insight in a safe environment, you become freed up to explore new ways of interacting outside of the therapeutic relationship. Therapy also allows you to access and experience deeper emotional truths than you may be able to access alone. Having someone walk with you through big feelings creates a sense of safety and a sense of mastery that you can then take with you outside of the therapy room.