Questions That You May Have About Therapy

There are a number of benefits that are offshoots from participating in therapy. Therapists can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as grief, depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, and stress management. Many people also find that therapists can be a tremendous benefit to managing interpersonal relationships, family concerns, and the hassles of daily life. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:

• Attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values
• Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
• Managing anger, grief and other emotional pressures

• Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy

• Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety

• Discovering new ways to solve problems in your family

  
  

Everyone goes through challenging situations in life, and while you may have successfully navigated through other difficulties you've faced, there's nothing wrong with seeking out extra support when you need it. In fact, therapy is for people who have enough self-awareness to realize they need a helping hand, and that is something to be admired. Therapy provides long-lasting benefits and support, giving you the tools to cope with normal or unusual stresses related to medical or other circumstances.

People have many different motivations for coming to psychotherapy. Some may be going through a major life transition (unemployment, new job, etc.), or are not handling stressful circumstances well (diagnosis of cancer, diabetes of other medical condition, grief or mourning). Some people need assistance managing a range of other issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship problems and creative blocks. Therapy can help provide some much needed encouragement and help with skills to get them through these periods. Others may be at a point where they are ready to learn more about themselves or want to be more effective with their goals in life. In short, people seeking psychotherapy are ready to meet the challenges in their lives and ready to make changes in their lives.

Because each person has different issues and goals for therapy, therapy will be different depending on the individual. In general, you decide what you want to discuss in each session, from current events happening in your life to your developmental history relevant to your issue. Depending on your specific needs, therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns or your desire for more personal development. Either way, sessions are scheduled weekly or twice a week with your therapist.

To determine if you have mental health coverage through your insurance carrier, the first thing you should do is call them. Check your coverage carefully and make sure you understand their answers. Some helpful questions you can ask them:

• What are my mental health benefits?

• What is the coverage amount per therapy session?

• How many therapy sessions does my plan cover?

• How much does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider?

• Is approval required from my primary care physician?

  
  

Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist's office. You can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (you’re your Physician, Psychiatrist, Naturopath, Attorney), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission.

However, state law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:

* Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders to the authorities, including Child Protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources.

* If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threated to harm another person.