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Questions and Answers about Psychotherapy and My Practice
Why do persons typically seek therapy?
There are many reasons persons seek the support of psychotherapy, ranging from the relief of debilitating symptoms, such as anxiety or depression, to difficulties in creating and sustaining stable and nurturing bonds with others, to fears of expressing themselves authentically or trusting others. Some seek the assistance of psychotherapy to understand reoccurring anger or conflicts with family members, spouses or other persons with who they are engaged romantically, collegially or as friends or lingering influences from their early lives that affected them adversely. Others seek the help of psychotherapy to develop 
new ways of responding to circumstances that have been habitually problematic, to develop more capacity for intimacy or to experience more joy and contentment in their lives. Sometimes a particular experience, such as a separation, divorce or a turbulent disagreement, or a milestone, such as marrying or becoming a parent, may also precipitate a decision to seek counseling; at other times a long standing and vague sense of feeling lost, confused and disengaged from others. The reasons as are vast and as varied as people themselves, but most persons share a desire for a more gratifying experience of their lives.In what ways is psychotherapy typically found to be helpful?
According to a studies conducted through the auspices of Consumer Reports in the mid-1990s, psychotherapy has been proven to be as effective as medication in helping to relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety. It has also been shown to be useful in assisting persons to: - Develop more psychological awareness and insight
- Learn to communicate more effectively
- Learn to resolve both internal and interpersonal conflicts
- Manage, reduce or relieve symptoms of emotional distress
- Develop more social, relational or vocational functioning
- Pursue personal growth and development
- Reconstruct their lives in the aftermath of trauma and abuse
I offer psychotherapeutic services to adolescents, adults, couples and families. I also have a special interest in assisting children or adults who have lost a parent early in life, individuals or families contending with chronic illness and disability, persons in the transition to early adulthood or experiencing other important developmental milestones. I also enjoy working with adults in mid-life and their older years and persons interested in engaging in the more intensive process of depth psychotherapy.
What kinds of issues are you familiar with?
Because of my experience in both private practice and social service settings, I have worked with persons from many backgrounds and with many different kinds of presenting concerns. While no means a comprehensive list, some of these concerns include: abuse, addiction and recovery, adoption, aging, anxiety, anger, body image, care-giving, career confusion, child development, co-dependency, co-parenting, cultural assimilation or differences, depression, disability, divorce, employment-related stresses and conflicts, grief, identity, illness, infertility, infidelity, intergenerational trauma, interpersonal conflicts with family member, co-workers and others, parenting, recovery from addiction, self-expression and creativity, separation and individuation , self-esteem, sexual orientation and trauma. If you wish to know whether I have experience with the particular concern or need you are experiencing, please feel free to call me for an initial telephone consultation.
What if I need or want to consider medication as an adjunct to psychotherapy?
Medication can often be helpful in supporting a person to feel a greater sense of well-being. If you are suffering from persistent or debilitating depression, anxiety or other troubling symptoms, I will explore your receptiveness to medication as an adjunct to psychotherapy. If you are amenable to the use of medication as an option, I will either refer you to a psychiatrist for a consultation, or help you in obtaining a referral through other means. If you wish to consider other methods of symptom management, such as the use of alternative remedies available through non-allopathic sources, such as homeopathy, I can also be of assistance.
Do you provide tele-therapy?
I find that I can offer my clients more assistance by seeing them in person, rather than by conducting sessions by phone or email, so I do not offer tele-therapy as one of my services. Sometimes, during a period of absence, I will offer appointments via phone to existing clients, especially if continuity is needed.
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