What is Psychotherapy?

What is psychotherapy? Sometimes just called “therapy”, psychotherapy involves working with a licensed therapist or counselor who helps you to develop healthy, effective habits to address your problem.

What is therapy like?
Therapy is a collaborative process. In the beginning, your provider will gather a thorough history to understand you, your problem, and how it developed. Your therapist will ask about your goals for therapy, and then together you and your therapist will develop a treatment plan designed to reduce your symptoms and improve your quality of life. During therapy sessions, you will learn new skills and approaches to healthy coping. Your therapist will monitor your progress as you practice those skills in your day-to-day life and test out new strategies.

How long will I be in therapy? The duration of therapy depends on your type of problem or disorder, your goals, how quickly you progress in applying new skills, and the type of therapy you choose to use with your therapist. Some people feel relief after a few sessions and others may have regular visits for several months. Therapy is not a lifelong commitment. Your therapist will collaborate with you about how long therapy is anticipated to last and about your progress toward your therapy goals to identify your eventual completion date. In your last sessions, you all will discuss a plan of action for maintaining your treatment gains and how to monitor for signs that future ‘booster sessions’ may be helpful.

How can I get the most of my time in therapy? Therapy works best when you are open, honest, and collaborate with your provider. Successful treatment also requires work outside of the therapy room. By using fresh strategies and applying new skills in your everyday environment, you will create lasting improvement in the way you feel. When therapy ends, you will have a variety of new tools you can continue to apply to help you better cope with future challenges that may arise. To build those tools into habits that create lasting change, consistent attendance to treatment is important. Typically, that means attending one therapy session per week.

What is Evidence-Based Psychotherapy (EBP)? Evidence-based psychotherapy approaches have been developed and scientifically studied for particular conditions. Research has shown these therapies to be very effective at reducing symptoms and improving quality of life in a relatively short time. Typically, EBPs are provided weekly in sessions that last 50-90 minutes for a predetermined number of weeks. However, these manualized treatments may not be the best fit for your needs or your goals. That is why you will collaborate on a personalized treatment plan with your provider.