The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one in every four Americans experiences a mental health issue in a given year, and in order to address that issue a person may turn to psychotherapy.  Often referred to simply as “therapy” or “counseling”, this is the familiar one on one, sitting down together session where we meet one or more times per week in the office.    

 

Rooted in conversation, therapy is the process of talking with a mental health professional to obtain relief from mental distress.  It might seem a bit daunting to reach out to someone you don’t know to talk about what’s on your mind, but at certain times in one’s life it can be the right thing to do.  Initially, just talking about one’s troubles to a qualified professional who listens closely and attentively often leads to an immediate sense of relief. 

 

It is true that many people are often nervous about trying therapy, with some seeing it as a sign of weakness to need a professional’s help during a particularly trying time in their life.  But, for those who really give therapy a chance, it usually ends up providing a rewarding understanding of their problems and an opportunity to move beyond them.

 

During these appointments, I listen closely and attentively to the patient and try to help them explore their mental distress.  Over time the patient’s trust grows and leads to an alliance that enables me to help the them understand the source of their problems.  This insight enables patients to change their behavior and lead a better life overall. 

 

I practice what is called “psychodynamic psychotherapy”, where the governing principle in any session is to explore as fully as possible what is on your mind.  Some parts of your life, past or present, may be harder to talk about than others, so it becomes important for you and I to join together to overcome these obstacles to exploration, to try and clear a path to help you discover and better understand the feelings and thoughts that are personally and individually yours.  This is the work of self-understanding that is vital to good mental health and well-being, and permits us to live more fully the life we want—to be closer to the ones we love and care about the most, whether friends or partners; to seek work that is fulfilling and personally meaningful and helps support the ones we love; and to be able to set work aside and disengage from the demands of the world and find pleasure in doing so.