INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
I provide individual psychotherapy by appointment for face-to-face sessions.
What to expect in a session: I will ask you to fill out a detailed history and bring it to our first session. Your immediate needs will guide the sessions as well as my interventions. We will use your history to place the current stressor in the context of your past. And we will address issues of future concern that may be a source of anxiety.
Therapy cannot erase problems in the past or present, and luckily it doesn’t need to. Instead it provides perspective and clarity. From birth to present we receive a near constant stream of feedback from the world, but none of these messages are edited for accuracy. When a distorted message is received, especially in childhood, it is usually accepted without question. Each of these distortions clouds the lens of our thinking just a little. Over the course of decades the result is a uniquely smudged lens. When we see ourselves clearly we come to the inescapable conclusion that our strengths vastly outweigh our flaws every time.
Natural versus manufactured emotions: The statement “I feel lonely” is connected to the natural emotion of sadness. Natural feelings are pliable and are capable of dissipating from moment to moment based on new information, such as a friend calling out of the blue and inviting you out. But the catastrophizing thought, “I will always be alone” manufactures the emotion of sadness. Manufactured emotions do not respond to new information and they have no expiration date. They can circulate indefinitely in the brain unless there is an intervention.
Can you achieve relief from worry and depression without therapy? Of course! Psychotherapy can shorten the time it takes to experience relief from decades down to years and in many cases, weeks. The same state of mind from which the current discomfort emerged cannot be relied upon to resolve it. Having a non-judgmental, compassionate therapist who brings another viewpoint is essential to a swift recovery. I use a combination of EMDR, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral treatments to address a wide range of symptoms.
Call or email for a free phone consultation at 917-563-4210.