What is counseling or psychotherapy?
Traditionally, counseling has been viewed more as giving advice and solving problems in the here and now. Psychotherapy has been viewed as a more in-depth emotional process where a person works on learning about herself or himself.. Today, counseling or psychotherapy are often used interchangeably along with the word therapy. I think of counseling and psychotherapy as one way a person(s) choose(s) to address personal problems, challenges or difficulties. This involves meeting and talking with a trained counselor or psychotherapist at regularly scheduled times.
How long will psychotherapy or counseling take?
This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions by persons considering counseling or psychotherapy. There is a lot of research available to indicate how many sessions it takes to treat a particular problem. However, the approach I recommend is to discuss this with this your potential counselor or psychotherapist. S/he may recommend 6 sessions or 12 sessions etc. for a particular issue but many things go into determining whether you decide to enter and how long you remain in counseling or psychotherapy.
Are you able to prescribe medications?
No. I do not prescribe medications. The only professionals that are able to prescribe medications are medical doctors and in some cases nurse practitioners. Psychiatric or psychotropic medications are best managed by a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Are you able to see people with really busy schedules?
I will do my best to accommodate your schedule. Currently, my available appointments are throughout the day and early evenings. I also have limited Saturday appointments.
I think a friend or relative may need counseling or psychotherapy. What should I do?
You can begin by talking with the person about your concerns and suggest counseling or psychotherapy as one of the methods that can be used to address the concerns that you have about the person. The person should then be the one to actively explore the counseling or psychotherapy options. If the person is not willing to actively do this herself or himself then counseling or psychotherapy is most likely not a priority for her or him at this time.
I am still not sure that I need or want counseling or psychotherapy?
This decision is ultimately up to you. I provide a free 15 minute phone consultation which can help you determine if you would like to schedule an appointment with me. If you decide to come in for an initial session we can further discuss your concerns and uncertainty. Hopefully, you will have a clearer idea if counseling or psychotherapy with me would be helpful by the end of the first session. I suggest that you give it a try and see what happens.
