FAQ- Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Wanted to Know was Afraid to Ask

Not everyone may need therapy, but ALL can BENEFIT from therapy. It’s designed to help with nearly every aspect of life, from the seemingly benign to the most devastating and its benefits are durable and long lasting and don’t diminish with time.

Signs that you could benefit from therapy include:

• You find it difficult to concentrate on work assignments or to carry out other everyday activities.

• You worry excessively, expect the worst, or are constantly on edge.

• Your actions, such as drinking too much alcohol, using drugs, or being aggressive, are harming you or others.

Therapy is a collaborative journey between you and a psychologist, grounded in dialogue and scientifically validated techniques. It offers a supportive, nonjudgmental space to explore and change thought and behavior patterns. By the end, you’ll not only address current issues but also gain lifelong coping skills for a happier, healthier life and better relationships.

Therapy isn’t just about receiving advice. In fact, I often joke that if I start giving advice, clients should ask for a refund! Advice is freely given and lacks empathy. What therapy offers is listening. It helps people develop a greater capacity to handle stress and see things from new perspectives. While therapists guide the process, clients are the masters of their own lives. True therapy helps us regain control and agency over our lives by validating our inner answers and providing a safe space for growth.

Ah, the age-old question! Many clients have challenged me with similar queries. The truth is, therapy isn’t just about listening passively. It involves active listening—a dynamic, two-way process. Picture it like a conductor orchestrating a symphony, allowing for pauses so clients can hear themselves think and feel. The therapeutic relationship itself is incredibly rich and emotional—a unique experience you won’t find elsewhere. That’s what you’re paying for—the opportunity to experience growth, understanding, and support firsthand. Give it a try, and you’ll see the difference it can make!

Answering this question is always challenging because therapy isn’t just about fixing a problem—it’s about ongoing growth and support. Once someone discovers the benefits of therapy, it becomes a bit like discovering the magic of exercise. Do we stop exercising once we’ve reached a certain fitness level? Therapy operates similarly. While it’s not necessary to see a therapist continuously, it’s beneficial to stay connected for maintenance or tune-ups. The frequency of sessions depends on various factors like the seriousness of the issue, available support, and individual processing speed. Typically, therapy starts with weekly sessions, but as progress is made, the frequency often tapers. Think of therapy like exercising your brain—the more consistently you engage, the stronger and healthier you become.

It’s fantastic that you’re feeling content with where you are in life! That’s a great opportunity to take a breather and clear out any lingering cobwebs. Despite appearances, we all carry scars that our bodies remember, even if our minds have forgotten, as Dr. Bessel van Volk’s research has shown. Think of therapy like using the JOHARI window—it offers a perspective that we simply can’t access on our own. Just as we need a mirror to see ourselves fully, therapy can reveal blind spots or unexplored aspects of our lives. Some liken therapy to a life audit conducted by a trained, unbiased professional who has our best interests at heart. Therapists can piece together correlations and causations for behaviors and feelings that we might not have realized otherwise. The best sessions often occur when there’s no immediate crisis—a chance for open-minded exploration without a list of topics or an agenda.

Grief is a universal experience, manifesting in various forms of loss throughout our lives. While it can be tangible, like the death of a loved one, it can also be the loss of a dream or an expected narrative for our lives. Unfortunately, many people minimize their grief, believing that unless it’s a tangible loss like death, it’s not worthy of attention. However, grief is complex and doesn’t adhere to a linear progression of stages toward acceptance or closure, as popularized by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Instead, it becomes woven into the fabric of our lives. In therapy, the goal isn’t to eradicate grief but to help individuals live with it, to acknowledge its presence without being consumed by it. By integrating grief into the broader spectrum of emotions and experiences, individuals can find a path toward healing and acceptance.

I believe the major cause of mental distress today is a pervasive sense of loneliness and disconnection. Despite the world becoming more interconnected, many people feel isolated and lack meaningful connections. Unlike previous generations, today’s society often lacks the sense of community found in close-knit neighborhoods. As we move frequently and rely heavily on technology, genuine, face-to-face interactions become rare. Instead of fostering deep connections, technology can create distractions that further isolate us. We’ve lost the unstructured downtime that used to facilitate spontaneous interactions and meaningful conversations. While technology isn’t inherently negative, its overuse can contribute to feelings of disconnection, leading to widespread low-grade depression and anxiety.

Trauma therapy encompasses helping clients understand trauma in relatable terms. Trauma can stem from painful experiences like abuse or neglect, witnessing traumatic events involving others, or the absence of necessary support. Clients often internalize trauma, leading to negative self-beliefs and dysregulation of the nervous system, manifesting as symptoms like depression or anxiety. Collaborating with a trauma therapist offers a path to changing the neurobiology of the nervous system, managing the cycling effects of trauma, and regaining a sense of safety and control over one’s life.