Will individual counseling help me?
At times, life can be difficult and overwhelming. Sometimes our struggles seem insurmountable, and we can find ourselves feeling trapped. Counseling can change your life for the better by helping you work through these challenges.
Therapy can help you understand what you’re feeling, why you are feeling that way and how best to cope. Counselors provide a new perspective on difficult situations and help you learn new skills to navigate obstacles on going.
Seeking therapy shows self-awareness and a realization that you need a positive change in your life. It is an investment in yourself that will last a lifetime. Some key reasons to consider seeking therapy include:
- you are feeling overwhelmingly sad, depressed, or anxious.
- you are managing painful emotions with alcohol, drugs, or other addictive means.
- you are amid a big life transition – new job, new baby, marriage, divorce, relocation, retirement, etc.
- you’ve experienced a major life stressor – an unexpected health issue, death of a loved one, job loss, etc.
- you feel like you’ve lost control of your emotions.
- you are having relationship issues.
- you are wondering if you have a mental health disorder.
Is it time for couples therapy?
A couple’s relationship changes over time. Sometimes, couples encounter difficulties that they are not well-equipped to handle. Couples therapy can often help address the difficulties in a productive way and lead to restoration of the relationship. Couples therapy will help you and your partner better understand each other. You will learn new skills to change the way you communicate and to eliminate unhealthy dynamics in your relationship.
Some key reasons to consider couples therapy include:
- you feel lonely and emotionally distant from your partner. You long to be able to share emotions with your partner and feel his/her support.
- you feel the communication between the two of you is unhealthy and you often say/do things you regret in anger.
- you worry that, as a couple, your strength of commitment to each other is waning. You are spending more time apart and/or there has been an affair.
- you are sad that sexual intimacy has declined and feel there is a lack of desire.
- you and your partner have different parenting styles which lead to conflict.
- you and your partner disagree on how to manage finances.
- you and your partner do not agree on roles in the relationship; you feel the division of household chores is unfair and/or you don’t have a voice in decision making.
- you worry unhealthy patterns from your upbringing or your partner’s upbringing are repeating themselves in your relationship.
- you are struggling with in-laws, friendships, work, or other life stressors/ transitions (i.e., health issues, death of a loved one, new birth, relocation, empty nester, etc.)
- you believe there may be untreated mental health problems – addictions, anxiety, depression, etc. – that are making the relationship difficult.
How does counseling work?
Therapy is a very personal, collaborative, and interactive process. It is unique in that it establishes a confidential relationship between the counselor and the client. I will spend time getting to know you, building trust, and understanding your needs. We will then work together to establish specific goals and track progress against them over time. Counseling works best when both the client and the therapist are highly invested. When working well, therapy will help you develop new perspectives on problems and learn new skills to cope with difficult emotions/relationships. I often use homework to help my clients practice skills introduced in therapy sessions.
What happens at the first session?
We will spend time getting to know each other and building the foundation for our future time together. I understand that some clients feel nervous before the first session, so I will take care to meet you where you are. If you are ready, we will start to explore the concerns that led you to counseling. It is also a great time for you to ask any questions you may have.
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