Given the wide array of methods and procedures often referred to as “psychotherapy,” producing a short, accurate definition for the word can be difficult to say the least.
However, psychotherapy can be described as a process focused on helping people overcome emotional and psychological problems as well as discover useful methods to deal with life’s challenges by using the rapport and trust built between a client and a professional psychotherapist.
Therapy can also provide you with assistance if you’re dealing with a difficult life transition or facing a time of frequent anxiety and stress, such as when going through a separation or divorce, beginning a new career, or coping with the loss of someone close.
Most psychotherapy tends to be goal-oriented and is tailored to solving the particular issues that cause you to seek professional help. At the outset of counseling, you and your therapist will talk about the specific adjustments you’d like to create, determine treatment goals, and break these goals and objectives into more easily attainable milestones allowing you to keep track of your success.
Accomplishing therapeutic objectives is accomplished through the use of honest interaction and using methods your therapist will provide so that you can navigate the issues you’re facing. Your therapist will also recommend tools and help you acquire techniques that will help you surmount new hurdles in your life long after therapy is complete.
How is psychotherapy different from talking about your problems?
While most psychotherapy focuses on the communication and rapport established between you and your therapist, effective therapy consists of much more than only discussing your problems.
Best friends and family can probably help you feel better now and then, and some may give good guidance that you should take into consideration. However, these interactions do not constitute psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a solely professional relationship between you and your therapist that is distinctive from other sorts of relationships in a couple of very important ways.
The nature of the therapy relationship
As mentioned, the relationship between you and your therapist is strictly professional. The therapist-client relationship exists solely for your benefit and to help you achieve the goals you set at the outset of therapy. The therapist expects nothing from you in return for their services other than payment for their time.
This is an essential point and the defining factor between the therapy relationship and any other relationships. You may tell your therapist almost anything without having to worry about offending them, about them revealing to someone what you said, or about having anything you reveal affect your relationships or career in any way.
Another fundamental distinction between your relationship with your therapist and your relationships with other people is that your therapist will rarely, if ever, discuss their opinions with you so that you feel as open as possible and not alter the way you talk about yourself.
The nature of communication in therapy
Unlike family members, associates and friends, therapists are trained to understand what you say, what you don’t say, and how you do or don’t communicate. Your therapist will pay attention to your body language, intonation, and other cues to fully understand your thoughts, feelings, and ability to express yourself.
Therapists have received lengthy education and training to help them understand the specific problems you’re facing. They are familiar with the symptoms of psychological disorders and well-versed in helping people navigate and overcome the difficulties and stresses of daily life.
Therapists also know what questions to ask in order to help you open up and honestly express yourself, and your therapist will likely pose some questions you’ve never heard before. To reiterate, the communication between you and your therapist will not be equal. Therapists will rarely reveal their personal opinions on issues such as politics or religion.
Who can benefit from psychotherapy?
It is far from uncommon for therapy to be prescribed whenever someone is trying to cope with a relationship, career, or life issue or a particular emotional problem that produces emotional distress or pain continues more than a couple of weeks.
As with any rule, there are exceptions, but for the most part there is little to no harm in going to therapy even if you’re not entirely certain you can benefit from it. Millions of people seek the help and support of a psychotherapist every year, and most research shows that people who do so benefit from the experience. Additionally, most therapists will be honest with you if they believe you won’t benefit from therapy.
Psychotherapy is most successful when you start therapy on your own initiative and have a substantial will to create the change you seek. If you don’t want to change, change is going to be slow to occur if it arrives at all.
Creating change means altering the behaviors and beliefs that are no longer serving your best interests. Since, psychotherapy is about challenging one’s beliefs about themselves and they way the world works, it is best to keep an open mind and be willing to try new things.
If you’re ready to ask for professional assistance and do the work needed to make therapy a success, psychotherapy can help you create positive, enduring changes in your life and be one of the best investments you’ll ever make.
To learn more about counseling and therapy, visit Pamela Levy’s website on psychotherapy in San Mateo, CA.