FAQs about the Therapeutic Process Explained
how long will it take?
This is the million-dollar question! I often look at the therapeutic process as one that goes deeper not further along which is to say therapy is not always a neat, linear process. We can discuss and contract around 6 sessions for a particular kind of existential dilemma. For more historical issues, it often takes 12 sessions or more. I agree with clients when to review and reflect on their therapeutic experience both in session and outside of it, at regular intervals. The key to therapy is to trust in the process, and this can take time. We are complex creatures so there is no magic, quick-fix solution.
how do i know this is the right time?
Part of the important alliance between client and therapist is for both of you to know when to ease off the accelerator and when to put on the brakes. This is part of the client being able to experience challenges where the growth often is versus feeling serious distress which is unethical. It is the therapist’s responsibility to ensure clients feel safe and contained with supportive boundaries.
What do we chat about in the initial assessment?
Some questions to consider:
Why therapy? Why now?
Have you been in therapy before? What’s your understanding of the counselling process? What are your expectations of therapy?
If you have been in therapy before, how was that experience? What worked? What didn’t work so well?
What changes are you expecting as a result of therapy?
What are you prepared to do during/outside of sessions to achieve this?
WHAT KIND OF THERAPY IS INTEGRATIVE?
Integrative therapy is a psychological approach to talk therapy that combines different therapeutic modalities* and techniques to meet the unique needs of each client. Clients are not one size fits all. Working integratively allows therapists to adapt their approach to match the client's preferences and therapeutic style, which can strengthen the therapeutic alliance. A strong therapeutic alliance has been consistently linked to positive therapy outcomes. Integrative therapy falls under the umbrella of Humanism whereby the client is the expert on their lives.
My theoretical emphasis is psychodynamic which explores the unconscious processes and early life experiences that may contribute to stuck patterns and anxiety. It helps clients gain insight into underlying issues and make connections between past experiences and present difficulties. And working integratively, I apply a holistic lens to our complex lives looking at the physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioural systems.
This broader perspective distinguishes it from therapies that may focus on specific aspects or symptoms. I also offer practical tools and techniques. Counselling is not an idle vocation; I actively listen, engage, encourage, and contain - this is also how I was trained.
*I am specifically trained in Gestalt, Person-Centred, Psychodynamic and Transactional Analysis.
do you work with men?
Yes, absolutely and I have experience working with male clients, young and old. Based on my worldview and psychotherapeutic approach, everyone suffers through the structures of inequality whereby neoliberalism and patriarchy are dominant. Importantly, ‘masculinity’ is not the problem. It is patriarchy which is institutionalised in our way of life and creates power imbalances of privilege. Men also suffer from this oppression that doesn’t allow for really showing up - feeling, reflecting, and expressing their own suffering. We do not need to tear each other down and cleave to old ways of dog-eat-dog to have a fruitful life. Rather, we need to challenge cultural stereotypes and work with each individual as human with our own unique set of characteristics and capacity to show up in the world.
how do i engage my child to try therapy?
As you’re here, you’ve already noticed some changes in your child. How you introduce the conversation to your child to consider therapy is important. Kids need to know first that you’re not suggesting they need therapy because they have done something wrong or that there’s something wrong with them. Instead, therapy is an invitation for them to safely express what’s troubling them by talking to a professional who has no skin in the game (ie. family and friends who all have an opinion on the matter!) It’s of paramount importance that the child wants to try therapy out and not be coerced. Have them research with you in finding a therapist. After all, who mom might want to work with may not feel right for your child and they are the ones in session. Typically, I speak with both the young person and the parent first for an initial chat about their concerns, then I have a session with the young person and we go from there.