Individual therapy is a collaborative process between therapist and client that aims to facilitate change and improve quality of life. Therapy can help people confront barriers that interfere with emotional and mental well-being and also increase positive feelings such as compassion, self-esteem, love, courage, and peace. Many people find they enjoy the therapeutic journey of becoming more self-aware and they may pursue ongoing psychotherapy as a means of self-growth and self-actualization.
What Does Individual Therapy or Psychotherapy Treat and When Is It Recommended?
Psychotherapy can treat specific, diagnosable mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, or ADHD, in addition to everyday concerns, such as relationship problems, stress management, career ambitions, or other issues that may affect a person's mental well-being. When specific issues or mental health conditions begin to cause distress and interfere with a person's normal activities, it may be time to seek therapy. Distress can manifest in the form of problematic beliefs, feelings, behaviors, and sensations in the body. A therapist can facilitate lifestyle changes, serve as a listening ear, help identify underlying causes of symptoms, and provide specific strategies or techniques for changing unwanted thoughts, behaviors, or emotions. Through therapy, people gather tools to manage symptoms, alleviate stress, and face challenges.
How will Psychotherapy help me?
In general, the goal of psychotherapy is to talk through issues and help clients heal, grow, and move toward more productive, psychologically healthy lives. The psychological approaches to understanding and helping, and therapists may use a single treatment approach, or combine several. The treatment approach is determined based on the clinician's expertise and goals outlined collaboratively with the clincian and client.
Is Psychotherapy an Effective Form of Treatment?
Ultimately, the individual’s desire and determination to heal play an essential role in whether psychotherapy is successful. Finding the right therapist is also an important component of effective therapy. Research has shown that psychotherapy results in fewer relapses of common conditions such as moderate depression and anxiety, and that the positive effects of good therapy extend well beyond treatment. In fact, many clients report improved conditions long after therapy has ended. In addition, many therapeutic modalities are evidence-based, meaning they have been subject to research studies and clinical observations, and they have been analyzed for effectiveness.