To explain what psychotherapy is, it can be helpful to explain what it is not. There are many myths surrounding psychotherapy, based on the classic picture of a patient lying on a couch while a bespectacled psychiatrist quietly takes notes. So first we will explain what psychotherapy isn’t, and then we will discuss how psychotherapy helps our clients here at the Brain Health Clinic in Sacramento.
Psychotherapy is Not Just Talking
Many people think that psychotherapy is simply the patient talking and the therapist listening, while the patient works things out for themselves in a quiet, neutral environment. It is true that conversation is the foundation of psychotherapy, but there’s much more to it than that. A trained therapist has thousands of hours of experience listening to people. And it’s not just for the purpose of lending a kindly ear. By asking carefully worded questions and then listening intently to the answers, the therapist discerns the thought processes, habits and behaviors that cause problems for the client. With this information it is possible to offer suggestions, exercises and techniques that help the patient to solve their problem.
I Can Just Talk to Friends and Family
While friends and family may offer to listen to our problem, many people cannot truly open up and reveal their deepest truths, usually out of fear regarding the consequences. And sometimes it is our friends and family who contribute to the problem itself. Although the people close to us in our lives can be helpers in navigating a safe course, they seldom have the expertise to assist us with problems of a psychological nature. You wouldn’t ask an amateur to prescribe glasses or to fill a cavity. The workings of the brain are no less important to our daily lives, so we should treat our psychological health accordingly.
Psychotherapy Takes Too Long
This is an idea planted in people’s minds by the characters in sitcoms and movies. In reality, half the patients in psychotherapy resolve their problem in eight sessions or less. The remainder usually accomplish their goal in less than six months. While the therapists at the Brain Health Clinic are here for you, psychotherapy is not meant to be a lifetime commitment.
So What Is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is you and the therapist working in a collaborative process to solve a specific problem you have. You receive professional help to discern the exact nature of your problem, why it exists and how it can be resolved. In the end, you are better equipped to deal with the challenges and frustrations of daily life, no matter your individual circumstances.
The Brain Health Clinic provides our clients with a free initial fifteen minute consultation, so that we can determine if individual psychotherapy is likely to be helpful to you. To accept this offer without obligation to continue, please contact us via our website or by calling us at 916-662-7740.