treatment

Clinical Counselors puts forth every effort to treat our clients as professionally as possible.

why see a counselor?
Sometimes people who are trying as hard as they can to get through a rough time, such as family troubles or problems in school, find that they just can't cope by themselves. They may be feeling sad, angry, or overwhelmed by what's been happening - and need help sorting out their feelings, finding solutions to their problems, or just feeling better. That's when therapy can help.

here are a few examples when therapy can help:

  • Working with a therapist can help someone overcome depression, anxiety, painful shyness, or an eating disorder.
  • Working with a therapist can help a person who cuts or self-injures.
  • Psychotherapy can help someone manage an attention problem or a learning problem.
  • People in therapy can learn to deal with the emotional side of a weight problem or a chronic illness.
  • Psychotherapy can help someone whose parents are going through a separation or divorce to sort through the many feelings these changes bring.
  • Therapy can help someone who has experienced a trauma, a difficult loss, or the death of someone close.
  • Working with a therapist can help a family that is troubled by too much fighting or anger or a family struggling with alcoholism or other addiction problem.
  • Therapy can help teens sort out common problems such as peer pressure, and it can help people build self-confidence and develop friendship skills.
  • Therapy can offer a person support to get through a difficult time. Some people go to therapy to get help with managing their anger or to learn to get along better with others.

    • Making the decision to seek help for a problem can be hard at first. It may be your idea to go to therapy because of a problem you're having that you want to get help with. Other times, parents or teachers might bring up the idea first because they have noticed that someone they care about is dealing with a difficult situation, is losing weight, or seems unusually sad, worried, angry, or upset. Some people in this situation might welcome the idea or even feel relieved. Others might feel criticized or might not be sure about getting help at first.

    Sometimes people are told by teachers or parents that they have to go see a therapist - because they have been behaving in ways that are unacceptable, self-destructive, dangerous, or worrisome. When therapy is someone else's idea at first, a person may feel like resisting the whole idea. But learning a bit more about what therapy involves and what to expect can help make it seem like a good thing after all.

    what happens during counseling?
    If you see a counselor, he or she will talk with you about your feelings, thoughts, relationships, and important values. At the beginning, therapy sessions are focused on discussing what you'd like to work on and setting goals. Some of the goals people in therapy may set include things like:
  • improving self-esteem and gaining confidence
  • feeling less depressed or less anxious
  • doing better with friends or schoolwork
  • learning to relate without arguing and managing anger
  • making healthier choices (for example, about relationships or eating) and ending self-defeating behaviors

    • During the first visit, your counselor will probably ask you to talk a bit about yourself. This helps the therapist understand you better. The therapist will ask about the problems, concerns, and symptoms that you're having.

    After one or two sessions, the counselor will probably explain his or her understanding of your situation, how therapy could help, and what the process will involve. Together, you and your counselor will decide on the goals for therapy and how frequently to meet. This is usually once a week, but may include every other week, or once a month.

    Once the counselor has a full understanding of your situation, he or she might teach you new skills or help you to think about a situation in a new way. For example, counselors can help people develop better relationship skills or coping skills, including ways to build confidence, express feelings, or manage anger.

    Sticking to the schedule you agree on with your counselor and going to your appointments will ensure you have enough time with your therapist to work out your concerns. If your therapist suggests a schedule that you don't think you'll be able to keep, be up front about it so you can work out an alternative.

    Contact us today to schedule an appointment!