Why Therapy?

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You are here and reading this page an indication that even if you are not fully ready to speak with a therapist you are seriously thinking about it.  So let me allay some of your fears, concerns or important questions that may be percolating in your mind.  Speaking with a stranger about your most intimate and personal issues can seem daunting, feel overwhelming and downright scary.   I get it.  You may have grown up in a family or culture that believed you do not and should not share your internal stuff with anyone, much less a stranger.  You may have been taught instead to hold your feelings in and get on with the business of living and surviving.  Seeking help and support may have been interpreted as a sign of weakness.  Sounds familiar? Have you internalised these attitudes about therapy?   

I am here to let you know that therapy can be an empowering and uplifting experience. Therapy can help you to not only unpack a host of jumbled up emotions but also assist you to better understand the source of these feelings.  Therapy can facilitate the development of tools to better manage, cope or recover from traumatic pain, anxious thinking and depression.   Moreover, it can help you to better understand other people leading to more healthy and fulfilling relationships.

I approach therapy using a collaborative and strength based approach.  I rely on cognitive behavioural and solutions focused models that are goal and problem focused.  CBT will teach you to identify, evaluate and respond to negative thoughts and beliefs.  Sometimes it is not the situation you are facing that causes distress but your perception of it.  Solutions focused ask you to envision a preferred reality or notice exemptions to the problem.  Can you think of a morning when you were not anxious or depressed?  Can you think of a time when you were not combative with your spouse or adolescent son or daughter?  I will assist you to better understand or amplify these good times. 

The first 2 or 3 sessions will focus on building the therapeutic alliance, identifying and prioritising goals for therapy and developing a treatment plan.  Sessions are usually 60 minutes and 6 – 12 sessions are recommended for best results.