How can therapy help me? How can therapy help my child?

Participating in therapy offers a number of benefits. As your therapist I can provide empathy, support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies. Often clients find that coming to counseling can promote managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, and the hassles of daily life. I can help provide a fresh perspective on or understanding of a difficult problem or help point you in the direction of a solution. Below are some examples of the possible benefits of therapy.

Developing skills for improving your relationships
Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to therapy
Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
Attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values
Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
Managing anger, grief, depression, and other emotional pressures
Improving communications and listening skills
Changing old behavior patterns and developing new ones
Discovering new ways to solve problems in your family

Do I really need therapy?

We all struggle with challenging situations in our life. In the past, you have have been able to successfully navigate through the difficulties, however, at times extra support is necessary. Seeking out extra support is an admirable

Everyone goes through challenging situations in life, and while you may have successfully navigated through other difficulties you've faced, there's nothing wrong with seeking out extra support when you need it. In fact, therapy is for people who have enough self-awareness to realize they need a helping hand, and that is something to be admired. You are taking responsibility by accepting where you're at in life and making a commitment to change the situation by seeking therapy. Therapy provides long-lasting benefits and support, giving you the tools you need to avoid triggers, re-direct damaging patterns, and overcome whatever challenges you face.

Is therapy right for me?

People have many different motivations for coming to or bringing their child to therapy. Some may be going through a major life transition (unemployment, divorce, new job, etc.), or are not handling stressful circumstances well. Some people need assistance managing a range of other issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship problems, spiritual conflicts and creative blocks. Therapy can help provide some much needed encouragement and help with skills to get them through these periods. Others may be at a point where they are ready to learn more about themselves or want to be more effective with their goals in life. In short, people seeking psychotherapy are ready to meet the challenges in their lives and ready to make changes in their lives.

What is therapy like?

Because each person has different issues and goals for therapy, therapy will be different depending on the individual. In general, you can expect to discuss the current events happening in your life, your personal history relevant to your issue, and report progress (or any new insights gained) from the previous therapy session. Depending on your specific needs, therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns or your desire for more personal development. Either way, it is most common to schedule regular sessions with your therapist (usually weekly).

It is important to understand that you will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process. The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life. Therefore, beyond the work you do in therapy sessions, your therapist may suggest some things you can do outside of therapy to support your process - such as reading a pertinent book, journaling on specific topics, noting particular behaviors or taking action on your goals. People seeking psychotherapy are ready to make positive changes in their lives, are open to new perspectives and take responsibility for their lives.

What about medication vs. therapy? Is medication a substitute for therapy?

It is well established that the long-term solution to mental and emotional problems and the pain they cause cannot be solved solely by medication. Instead of just treating the symptom, therapy addresses the cause of our distress and the behavior patterns that curb our progress. You can best achieve sustainable growth and a greater sense of well-being with an integrative approach to wellness. Working with your medical doctor you can determine what's best for you, and in some cases a combination of medication and therapy is the right course of action.

Do you take insurance, and how does that work?

I do not take insurance in my office. However, I can provide you with an invoice that you can then submit it your insurance provider. To determine if you have mental health coverage through your insurance carrier, it is important to call your insurance provider and to check your coverage carefully and make sure you understand their answers. Some helpful questions you can ask them:

What are my mental health benefits?
What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
How many therapy sessions does my plan cover?
How much does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider?
Is approval required from my primary care physician?

Is therapy confidential?

Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and therapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist's office. Every therapist should provide a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (you’re your Physician, Naturopath, Attorney), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission.

However, state law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:

* Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders to the authorities, including Child Protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources.

* If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threated to harm another person.

The California Association of Marriage and Family (CAMFT) created a pamphlet to help people learn more about the therapeutic process and services available. Please visit the link below for more details.

http://www.camft.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&content=pdfs&template=/cm/contentdisplay.cfm&contentfileid=24

If you would like to learn more about the Marriage and Family Therapy designation and license, please visit California Marriage and Family Therapy (CAMFT) website, via the link below, for more information.

http://www.camft.org//Content/NavigationMenu/FAQ/CaliforniaMFTs/default.htm