Is talking really going to help?
What kind of problems can Psychotherapy help with?
Is Psychotherapy the right treatment for me?
Psychotherapy and counselling help individuals become more aware of themselves, their relationships and their ‘inner world’. It is a journey where both patient and therapist work together to understand and resolve conflicts and work through painful experiences both in the past and in the present. Psychotherapy works towards bringing to conscious awareness things that may be hidden in regards to how a person feels about themselves and how they relate to others. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy promotes self-awareness, emotional and personality development. It is different from other therapies in the sense that it looks further and deeper in order to understand what may be related to the issues and problems of the present, aiming to bring about deep and lasting change.
Is talking really going to help?
It can actually be a relief to freely express inner feelings to someone who is neutral and non-judgmental. A therpist will help you revisit and elaborate on areas in which you might feel stuck and help you find ways to think and express your experiences. A therapy session is not just a normal conversation, like you would have with a friend or a partner, because the therapist is trained to listen to what the person communicates on a deeper and more unconscious level. As you talk together, new insights become more available to be thought about and perceptions can be improved and changed. A period of therapy can often unlock issues leading to greater resilience and independence of mind.
What kind of problems can Psychotherapy help with?
Psychotherapy can help with a wide range of problems, from more specific and current issues such as bereavement, stress, relationship difficulties, or work-related issues, to more deep-seated and complex problems such as eating disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety or personality disorders. In the consultation stage, you will be helped to think about whether the issues you want help with can be worked through in psychotherapy, or if you would need a more specific approach or perhaps the involvement of other professionals (for example your GP).
Is Psychotherapy the right treatment for me?
The initial consultation should help you decide whether psychoanalytic psychotherapy is the right option for you.
Your therapist will not disclose information about you except under exceptional circumstances. In order to maintain standards of practice, a therapist may periodically consult on their work with a colleague, though this is always anonymous. Your therapist might also entrust your name and contact details to a colleague so that they are able to inform you if, for any reason, they are unable to make a session and cannot contact you themselves.
When starting therapy, people often wonder how long it will take. This is a good question and depends very much on the individual. Your therapst will help you to explore the nature of your difficulties and how they may be overcome, which could take anywhere between a few months and several years.