How can therapy help me?
Participating in therapy can provide many benefits. Cognitive-Behavioral techniques help you look at the thought patterns and ways that you interact with others or yourself that may be contributing to cycles of anxiety or sadness. The therapy process can provide alternative perspectives and the chance to better understand the way you think and feel. The goal of therapy is to provide you with clearer goals and enhanced coping strategies. Therapy works well for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, and recovering from trauma. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:
Attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values
Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
Getting back to feeling like yourself again
Finding more satisfying relationships
Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy
Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
Managing anger, grief, depression, and other challenging emotions
Improving communication and assertiveness skills
Changing old behavior patterns and developing new ones
Discovering new ways to solve problems in your relationships
Do I really need therapy? I can usually handle my problems.
Everyone goes through challenging situations in life, and while you may have successfully made it through tough times before, there's nothing wrong with seeking out extra support when you need it. In fact, therapy is for people who have enough self-awareness to realize they are stuck and that is admirable. You are taking responsibility by accepting where you're at in life and making a commitment to change the situation by seeking therapy. Therapy provides long-lasting benefits and support, giving you the tools you need to avoid triggers, re-direct damaging patterns, and overcome whatever challenges you face.
Why do people go to therapy and how do I know if it is right for me?
People have many different motivations for coming to psychotherapy. Some may be going through a major life transition (starting a new school, moving away from home, unemployment, divorce, new job, etc.), or are not handling stressful circumstances well. Some people need assistance managing a range of other issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship problems, spiritual conflicts and creative blocks. Therapy can help provide some much needed encouragement and help with skills to get them through these periods. Others may be at a point where they are ready to learn more about themselves or want to be more effective with their goals in life. In short, people seeking psychotherapy are ready to meet the challenges in their lives and ready to make changes in their lives.
What is therapy like?
In general, you can expect to talk about the current events happening in your life, your personal history that may be relevant to your current issue, and review progress (or any new insights gained) from the previous therapy session. Depending on your specific needs, therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns or focus on personal growth. I usually schedule therapy on a weekly basis, at least initially, with a move to meeting every other week once you feel some progress has been made and you are looking to maintain that progress.
It is important to understand that you will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process. The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life. Therefore, beyond the work you do in therapy sessions, I may suggest some things you can do outside of therapy to support your process - such as reading a book, journaling on specific topics, noting particular behaviors or taking action on your goals. People seeking psychotherapy are ready to make positive changes in their lives, are open to new perspectives and take responsibility for their lives.
What about medication vs. psychotherapy?
In my experience, therapy combined with medication can provide more long term relief from symptoms compared to medication alone. Therapy provides tools and skills that increase one's resilience to the ups and downs of life and helps prevent the return of low mood or anxiety once a medicaiton is stopped. Working with your medical doctor you can determine what's best for you, and in some cases a combination of medication and therapy is highly effective. Medication can be considered the life preserver needed when it is hard to keep your head above water, while therapy is focused on learning to swim in the stormy waters and move to more stable waters or shore.
Do you take insurance, and how does that work?
I am considered an "out of network" provider and do not take insurance payments directly. Many forms of insurance (e.g., PPOs) will cover out of network services at a percentage of the cost. I have many clients who utilize a statement of invoice (or "superbill") which is a receipt that a client submits to insurance for reimbursement according to his or her coverage. To determine if you have mental health coverage through your insurance carrier, the first thing you should do is call them. Check your coverage carefully and make sure you understand their answers. Some helpful questions you can ask them:
What are my mental health benefits?
How much does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider (including amount per session and number of sessions)?
Do I have a deductible I need to reach before out of network services can be covered?
Is approval required from my primary care physician?
Does what we talk about in therapy remain confidential?
Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist's office. Every therapist should provide a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (you’re your Physician, Attorney), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission.
However, state law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:
* Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders to the authorities, including Child Protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources.
* If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threatened to harm another person.
624 W. Chapman Ave, Orange, CA 92868