Is therapy right for me?

Therapy is right for anyone who is interested in getting to know him/herself better, and who is willing to open up to the process with honesty, curiosity, and patience.

Do I really need therapy? I can usually handle my problems.

If you have feelings of distress that don’t seem to be going away with your usual ways of coping, therapy can be very helpful. Everyone faces difficult and challenging times, and while you may have successfully navigated other difficulties you’ve faced, there’s nothing wrong with seeking out extra support when you need it. Sometimes our coping resources just aren’t working and we are not able to get what we need from the people we usually turn to.

Does therapy really help?

How do we know therapy works? There are lots of studies in psychology that examine the effectiveness of therapy, many of which seek to establish which types of therapy are best for specific problems. There is some controversy about how to interpret these studies. However, there is strong support for the general conclusion that therapy is beneficial for lots of different kinds of psychological problems, and that it produces lasting results. Here is a link to an article that discusses the landmark 1995 Consumer Reports study on the effectiveness of psychotherapy.

Is medication a substitute for therapy?

In some cases a combination of medication and therapy is recommended. Long term results are not likely to be achieved with medication alone. Instead of just treating the symptom, therapy addresses the underlying causes of our distress.

Is therapy confidential?

In general, state and federal law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and psychotherapist. No information is disclosed without prior written permission from the client.

Legally there are some exceptions to this rule. These situations are rare. A therapist must report the following situations to appropriate authorities:

• Suspected abuse
• Threat of serious harm to another person
• Threat of harm to client himself or herself