Common Questions
Why pay a therapist?
Because:
- What you say in the office stays in the office: you have legal confidentiality*
- Your relationship with your therapist is completely separate from other relationships
- You have freedom from the consequences of hurt feelings, gossip, divided loyalties
- As a therapist, I listen non-defensively, without my own personal agenda
- I am trained not to change the subject to myself, nor use you to solve my problems
- I contain and hold onto your longer term goals for you.
- You can explore your experience without fear of judgment.
What about medication vs. psychotherapy?
In many cases a combination of medication and therapy offers the most effective treatment. It is well established that the long-term solution to mental and emotional problems and the pain they cause cannot be solved solely by medication; beyond just treating symptoms, therapy addresses the underlying causes of our distress and the behavior patterns that curb our progress. This work may include talk therapy, expressive arts, writing, music , poetry and somatic techniques such as focusing and guided meditation.
- *State law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:
- Suspected child abuse or dependent adult or elder abuse.
- If the client intents to harm him or herself actions may be taken in order to insure the patients safety.
- Threatening serious bodily harm to another may require notification to the police and the intended victim.