Individual and Couples Therapy
Following is some general information about the individual and couple’s therapy that I offer. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about these services.
Because people enter therapy for a number of reasons, with a varying number of people (individually, with a partner, or with a family), and with a variety of goals, the therapeutic process can look very different from client to client. However, there are some similarities that most therapeutic relationships have in common.
Therapy is a confidential environment. Confidentiality is a responsibility in the therapeutic relationship that I take very seriously. For the most part, confidentiality is a responsibility that dictates my actions, not the clients, though this is not always the case if there is more than one client in therapy (couple's and family therapy). Confidentiality means that every aspect of the client being in therapy is a private matter that will not be shared with anyone by me. There are some limits to confidentiality to which I’m legally bound; clients need to be aware of them. If a judge orders me to break confidentiality, I will do so, though this is rare in my practice. If a client tells me in writing that they want me to share information with someone, I will do so; this most commonly happens when a family member attends a session or when I coordinate with a physician or a past treatment provider. If I have a clear understanding that someone who can’t defend themselves has been abused (a child or an elder) or that a person is in imminent danger of being seriously harmed (including a client harming themselves), I‘m obligated to break confidentiality to protect people. If at all possible, I act in coordination with the client in these cases.
Therapy is an environment where the client deserves to be well informed about all aspects of the process. This is called informed consent and includes information pertaining to fees and payment, the limitations of the therapy service, options for treatment that don’t include therapy, confidentiality and it’s limits, the qualifications and experience of the therapist, and what will happen during the actual process of therapy.
In my practice, therapy always begins with some degree of an assessment. The amount of time invested in the assessment process may vary depending on a number of factors. However, it’s imperative that I have a good understanding of the client’s experience of the problem, his/her history that informs this struggle, and what he/she wants to accomplish in therapy. The more thoroughly I understand these dynamics, the more effective I can be in helping people achieve their goals. In individual therapy, the assessment process usually takes a couple sessions. In couple’s therapy, my assessment usually takes more time. A typical beginning to couple’s therapy includes an initial meeting with both partners; my goal in this session is to get as much information as possible regarding the couple’s dynamic and to recommend an initial plan for the couple. The following four sessions are spent meeting individually with each partner (twice each); my goal in these sessions is to learn how each partner is experiencing the problem as an individual, and his/her pertinent history that informs that experience in the present time. While the main goal of the assessment process is to gather information, some time is spent helping clients make initial steps toward meeting their goals, and many clients report making satisfying progress during this phase of treatment. Though there is a formal assessment phase, the process of gathering and assimilating information about the client’s experiences continues throughout therapy.
After the formal assessment is completed, work begins in earnest to help clients meet their goals. This phase of treatment is quite individualized depending on the client’s needs and presenting problem. My approach is typically to help clients find their own solutions to their struggles by providing a safe environment for exploration while lending my expertise in the subject matter. This is not to say that I provide no confrontation or direction during the therapeutic process. It’s often beneficial to help clients identify the ways in which they may undermine their own growth or their partner’s growth. For more information about my therapeutic approach, please visit my page on this subject. Sometimes couples come to therapy to specifically discuss sexual issues, commonly referred to as sex therapy. For more about sex therapy please visit my page on this subject.
The therapeutic process has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The end of therapy is called termination. Ending the therapeutic process can happen for a number of reasons, not all of which include a successful outcome. However, in my practice clients usually stop coming because they’ve met their goals and feel that they have the skills to manage future challenges. There are many ways to bring therapy to a close. Some clients chose to gradually decrease the frequency of sessions, some clients feel no need to schedule these “tune-up” meetings. All clients have the option of reentering therapy if they feel the need to do so after they’ve stopped coming. Ending therapy is almost never done unilaterally by the therapist.
If you have questions about individual or couple’s therapy, including whether it might be beneficial to you, feel free to contact me.
Because people enter therapy for a number of reasons, with a varying number of people (individually, with a partner, or with a family), and with a variety of goals, the therapeutic process can look very different from client to client. However, there are some similarities that most therapeutic relationships have in common.
Therapy is a confidential environment. Confidentiality is a responsibility in the therapeutic relationship that I take very seriously. For the most part, confidentiality is a responsibility that dictates my actions, not the clients, though this is not always the case if there is more than one client in therapy (couple's and family therapy). Confidentiality means that every aspect of the client being in therapy is a private matter that will not be shared with anyone by me. There are some limits to confidentiality to which I’m legally bound; clients need to be aware of them. If a judge orders me to break confidentiality, I will do so, though this is rare in my practice. If a client tells me in writing that they want me to share information with someone, I will do so; this most commonly happens when a family member attends a session or when I coordinate with a physician or a past treatment provider. If I have a clear understanding that someone who can’t defend themselves has been abused (a child or an elder) or that a person is in imminent danger of being seriously harmed (including a client harming themselves), I‘m obligated to break confidentiality to protect people. If at all possible, I act in coordination with the client in these cases.
Therapy is an environment where the client deserves to be well informed about all aspects of the process. This is called informed consent and includes information pertaining to fees and payment, the limitations of the therapy service, options for treatment that don’t include therapy, confidentiality and it’s limits, the qualifications and experience of the therapist, and what will happen during the actual process of therapy.
In my practice, therapy always begins with some degree of an assessment. The amount of time invested in the assessment process may vary depending on a number of factors. However, it’s imperative that I have a good understanding of the client’s experience of the problem, his/her history that informs this struggle, and what he/she wants to accomplish in therapy. The more thoroughly I understand these dynamics, the more effective I can be in helping people achieve their goals. In individual therapy, the assessment process usually takes a couple sessions. In couple’s therapy, my assessment usually takes more time. A typical beginning to couple’s therapy includes an initial meeting with both partners; my goal in this session is to get as much information as possible regarding the couple’s dynamic and to recommend an initial plan for the couple. The following four sessions are spent meeting individually with each partner (twice each); my goal in these sessions is to learn how each partner is experiencing the problem as an individual, and his/her pertinent history that informs that experience in the present time. While the main goal of the assessment process is to gather information, some time is spent helping clients make initial steps toward meeting their goals, and many clients report making satisfying progress during this phase of treatment. Though there is a formal assessment phase, the process of gathering and assimilating information about the client’s experiences continues throughout therapy.
After the formal assessment is completed, work begins in earnest to help clients meet their goals. This phase of treatment is quite individualized depending on the client’s needs and presenting problem. My approach is typically to help clients find their own solutions to their struggles by providing a safe environment for exploration while lending my expertise in the subject matter. This is not to say that I provide no confrontation or direction during the therapeutic process. It’s often beneficial to help clients identify the ways in which they may undermine their own growth or their partner’s growth. For more information about my therapeutic approach, please visit my page on this subject. Sometimes couples come to therapy to specifically discuss sexual issues, commonly referred to as sex therapy. For more about sex therapy please visit my page on this subject.
The therapeutic process has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The end of therapy is called termination. Ending the therapeutic process can happen for a number of reasons, not all of which include a successful outcome. However, in my practice clients usually stop coming because they’ve met their goals and feel that they have the skills to manage future challenges. There are many ways to bring therapy to a close. Some clients chose to gradually decrease the frequency of sessions, some clients feel no need to schedule these “tune-up” meetings. All clients have the option of reentering therapy if they feel the need to do so after they’ve stopped coming. Ending therapy is almost never done unilaterally by the therapist.
If you have questions about individual or couple’s therapy, including whether it might be beneficial to you, feel free to contact me.
