Care for the life you are actually living.

Problem solving is a permanent part of being human and we have lived life solving something every day. But sometimes we are at such crossroads that we face helplessness, confusion, anxiety, fear or depression. This affects our quality of sleep, food intake, quality of relationships, and our life goals negatively. We feel a strong need to align ourselves to the larger picture. Therapy could be a way of experiencing light on this crossroad.

We can assume that all therapists go through the same rigorous training in psychotherapy. So the gender of the client does not and should not matter to a psychotherapist. But due to cultural aspects and also due to perceived taboo about certain issues, clients may feel more comfortable with a same gender therapist. I personally have had both female and male clients probably in near equal numbers. So, I can easily conclude that it is the work of the therapist to instill the right kind of trust and faith.

Psychotherapy and medication are not mutually exclusive. However, in some situations psychotherapy alone may take too long to show positive effects. In other cases, medication without psychotherapy does not show any positive results. We can say in a crude way, that medicine is for reducing the symptoms of an illness while psychotherapy focuses on creating health, restoring it and allowing newer ways of enhancing it. Only one’s psychotherapist will be able to gauge as to what out of the two is needed and in what measure.

Going through therapy is like learning a completely new language of thinking and practicing it till it becomes a part of you. How long would one take to learn this language differs from person to person. If it is psychotherapy, then it is meant to empower you. An expert therapist will make sure that you become increasingly independent and successful at maneuvering freely in your life.

Your therapist may suggest a session once or twice a week depending on the intensity of the problem. Sessions with more gaps than a week are not found to be fruitful, and with lesser gaps are generally suggested only in a few cases.

An emphatic ‘YES’ is what I will like to answer this question with. Confidentiality is the pillar of the Psychotherapy profession. The client’s consent to therapy is mandatory. Sometimes, psychotherapists feel the need to discuss their opinions with other medical professionals treating the patient or with the parents, spouse, or teacher of the client. But a therapist cannot divulge any information about the client without the client’s permission to do so. In case of minor clients also it is necessary that the therapist informs the client and respects his/her request for confidentiality. Confidentiality is paramount, and its scope has to be practical.

Any form of specialized therapy involves a system of diagnosis, analysis, understanding the prognosis, designing the therapy line, and executing the therapy towards the clients’ goals. These goals can change according to the needs that arise in the client. Healing, empowerment, and change are the hallmarks of therapeutic work. Psychotherapists need to master the methods of the style they work with. Counseling, though, is a more generic term. Any form of expert advice or supportive dialogue can be termed as counseling. One can say that all psychotherapists are counselors, but all counselors are not psychotherapists. E.g. Counsellors are needed for supportive work, for psycho-education, for career information, etc. for which one doesn’t have to be a psychotherapist.

Therapy does not provide ‘solutions’. It is the road to the solution. It will broaden your perspective and you would start noticing roads where a dead end seemed inevitable. Or on a crossroad where you experience frozenness, it will bring in assurance, clarity and a will to move. But therapy is not magic. It is necessary that a patient/client co-operates and is motivated towards achieving change out of therapy along with the therapist’s expertise.

In a relationship, the one who feels the need to evolve is the one who can bring evolution. The fact that you are reading this today suggests that you are the one who is open to creating a shift in yourself, thus fostering the shift/change that is healthy for your loved person. So, if you feel that someone else needs therapy and if that person not seeking help is blocking something in YOUR life, then you could come to therapy to broaden your capacities to get the best or salvage what is possible in this relationship.