Optimal Living - Virtual Tele-Mental Health Services

                           What is Psychotherapy?

"Psychotherapy is an approach for treating mental health issues by talking with a psychologist, psychiatrist or another mental health provider. It also is known as talk therapy, counseling, psychosocial therapy or, simply, therapy.

During psychotherapy, you learn about your specific issues and how your thoughts, emotions and behaviors affect your moods. Talk therapy helps you learn how to take control of your life and respond to challenging situations with healthy coping skills".  - Mayo Clinic

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                       What to expect in a Session?

 

An individual session usually runs for a 50-minute therapy hour. We (therapist & client) sit facing each other, within a relaxed setting (you in your home via computer or cell phone/me in my "video office"). We introduce ourselves. An initial individual session involves  information gathering, and you expressing what issue or  circumstances led to coming to therapy. What do you hope to change and improve? What efforts have already been made to alter the presenting concern's impact on you? What is your motivation for change? Your history of growing up, your family and their impact on you. Your education, career/work, relationships, and what life means to you. 

Therapeutic interventions may be about learning new skills, or may lead to longer-term exploration and inner work. Sometimes the work has a narrow focus, and sometimes it is broad in scope. Each client's circumstances, problems, and challenges are unique. Regardless of its scope in someone's life, psychotherapy can be productive and quality of life enhancing. Therapy is an opportunity to work collaboratively with your therapist to improve your life. This will be about clarifying your goals, and determining what things may be interfering with your health, happiness, and satisfaction.  This is not a passive process, but involves an active search and exploration. Ultimately it involves hard work, and taking responsibility for your life. Therapy may be taken on for immediate problems, possibly short-term, that interfere with happiness or satisfaction. Therapy may also address mental disorders, or even existential or spiritual concerns. These are "growth" and "meaning of life" kinds of issues, that may be further addressed through selected reading, recommended activities, and social engagement. Change and growth is a process, with emerging paths and endeavors to add to your life. It is dynamic and a reflection of your healing and increased engagement with your world. And it is about you and this journey that we call Life. Therapy certainly becomes a larger exploration of meaning and purpose, and what we need to feel that it has been a journey "well done". And, as a therapist, I can assist you with preparations for that journal. 

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