INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

Individual psychotherapy is a form of treatment for in which a trained clinician establishes a relationship with a person for the purpose of modifying, managing, or removing distressing symptoms and promoting personality growth. People initiate individual treatment to discuss different aspects of their lives and explore difficulties they may be having in adequately managing or solving some of their problems. Sessions may be scheduled from one to three days per week, with greater frequency allowing for more in-depth treatment. It is not usually possible at the outset of treatment to estimate the number of sessions that will be necessary in order to achieve a person’s goals, but the person can request a specific number of sessions depending on their sense of what they need.  During a period of evaluation, the reasons for seeking treatment are discussed, allowing the clinician to develop an understanding of nature and range of an individual’s particular difficulties.  After the initial period, sessions will become less like an interview; the person is asked to share whatever is on his or her mind and it is the therapist’s job to listen and to help the person explore and identify patterns of thinking, feeling and interacting that may play a role in his or her struggles. Consequently, the person becomes more aware of his or her thoughts and feelings, learns how some ways of coping are no longer adaptive, and discovers that he or she as an adult has a greatly expanded repertoire of resources and can use far more effective ways of dealing with problems.