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What are the benefits of therapy?
Therapy has helped many clients who have come into our office with unresolved issues and the feeling of being lost. Therapy is a process that can bring forth an understanding of emotions and behaviors. It provides a safe place for people explore the dynamics of their relationships and look into their personal problems. Therapy helps client to develop insight to new and different perspectives ino the challenges of life. Some benefits from working with a therapist include:
- Improved listening and communication skills
- Developing and maintaining healthy relationships
- Attaining effective ways of handling frustration and anger
- Coping with depressed moods in positive ways
- Developing better decision making skills
- Changing unhealthy behaviors and habits
- Improving ways to handle stress and anxiety
- Resolving painful conflicts
- Approaching life’s obstacles with new perspectives
- Regaining self confidence and joy
- Enhancing the overall quality of life
Why would I want therapy?
Self-knowledge is an important factor in changing our attitude, behaviors, and ways of life. We are all confronted with choices and decision making on a daily basis. The way we react to certain events in our lives may cause problems in our relationships with others. This is because we find ourselves limited to a certain level of insight or problem solving . Therapy can provide a safe environment and a unique opportunity for the client to re-experience personal history in a new way through the therapeutic relationship. It is an opportunity to see the connections between our past and present conflicts as we begin to understand how we relate to ourselves and to others. The patient can get in touch with unconscious needs when he or she freely expresses his or her story in all possible ways to a clinician who knows how to listen and provide meanings for the patient. Patients of any age can grow from understanding their unconscious thoughts and feelings. The patient will also benefit from the realization of how these unconscious thoughts and feelings effects the way in which one thinks, acts, reacts, feels, and relates. The freedom to choose, to change, to continue to grow, and to enjoy more satisfying relationships through self revelations are wonderful experiences that can be obtained through therapy.
How long do I have to see a therapist for?
Based on scientific research: At the end of treatment, the average treated person is significantly better off than the untreated individual; 50% of patients were measurably improved by the eighth session, and 75% of patients were improved by the end of six months. However, there is no prescribed length of time for treatment. The optimal results of therapy depend a great deal on the patient's willingness and ability to authentically experience all relationships, especially the one in the therapeutic setting. It is only those who are closely involved in the process that can determine when personal goals have been achieved. When the patient feels the desired goals have been met and accomplished, a date can then be set for termination.
How much does it cost?
The fee for service generally covers a 50 minute session. It will be discussed and be agreed upon during the first treatment session. Payment is typically expected at the beginning of each therapy session. Our services are reimbursable through self-pay and insurance. The client may have to pay in full or in partial payment depending on insurance coverage. We also offer affordable fees through a sliding scale based on income and hardship.
How do I choose my therapist?
You have arrived at this point perhaps after trying almost every available treatment method from your physician; or maybe you have tried talking to family or friends about your problems and it has not worked out for you. By seeking therapy, you have made an important decision. Congratulations! However, it doesn’t stop here. Deciding on which mental health practitioner to see can be a difficult decision. The therapeutic experience and most favorable results are significantly dependent upon your relationship your the therapist. It is imperative to have a clinician that is well trained, competent, and one that you are comfortable with talking to. Please refer to how to find a competent therapist under resources. Additionally, below is the credentials and training for different mental health practitioners taken from the Orange County Psychological Association (OCPA) Web page.
The typical Clinical Psychologist spends 11 years studying human behavior. This consists of 4 years for a Baccalaureate degree. An additional 2 years to achieve a Master’s degree. And 3-4 additional years to earn a Ph.D. After earning the doctoral degree an additional year in a post-doctoral internship must be completed before licensing. Training and emphasis are on understanding why the person struggles rather than medicating symptoms. Training in human behavior includes all of the major theoretical disciplines covering early child development, marriage, family, group and organizational behavior. A Clinical Psychologist’s ability in psychological testing is unsurpassed. Training is beginning to include medication treatment, which until recently was most widely done by general physicians and psychiatrists.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who completes a 2 to 3 year residency in psychiatry after medical school. The majority of their education has little to do with human behavior. This residency is typically completed in an inpatient mental health unit affiliated with a medical school or at a V.A. hospital. Actual classroom work during this residency is less than the time spent managing cases under the auspices of a board-certified instructor. The strength of this training lies within the experience they gain with severe pathologies like Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders. The weakness in their training is evident in how little course work they receive. The result is very little knowledge of the theoretical schools, psychological testing or experimental research and design. In the early 1980's psychiatric residency training shifted away from psychotherapy to a physiological emphasis. It has resulted in practice patterns that rely upon medication to a much greater degree than any other mental health provider.
The actual course work in human behavior that both of these disciplines are required to complete is greater than that finished by psychiatry. However, the actual post-graduate training in human behavior is three years versus the six years for a Clinical Psychologist. The strength in an LCSW’s training involves their skill in finding programs necessary for example for the Alzheimer or handicap able patient. Similar to a psychiatrist, training in psychological testing is limited. Also, mastery of the extensive literature on the psychology of human behavior is curtailed. An MFCC is a master level counselor with the least training of all mental health practitioners. Their strength can lie within family and child counseling skills due to their training in family systems theory.
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