About therapy

Therapy is a process based on a collaborative relationship between you, the partner/family members who are coming to therapy with you, and me as your therapist. My aim is to help you clarify what brings you to therapy and set appropriate goals for the changes you want to make in your life. While a therapist has the knowledge and skills to facilitate the therapeutic process, you will make the decisions about what changes you need in your life.

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The purpose of therapy is to improve the quality of your relationships and your individual well-being by facilitating a therapeutic process that enables you to explore different options for your life.

Duration and Scope:  The length of the therapy process generally depends on the nature of the problem and client´s needs. The specific duration and scope of your therapy will be tailored to your presenting problems and goals established within the first several sessions.  

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Research indicates that most people who receive therapy benefit from therapy and do better than those who receive no services at all. Possible and potential benefits of therapy include but are not limited to:

• Pain relief, symptom reduction.

• Improved ability to interact in marital, family and their interpersonal relationships and decreased frequency and intensity of interpersonal conflicts.

• Greater understanding of family and personal goals and values.

• Improved ability to handle stress and become more resistant to unfavorable life circumstances.

• An increased awareness of patterns of personal interaction.

• Enhancement of the relationships with significant others.

• Increased overall well-being and life satisfaction.

• Change in behavior or lifestyle.

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While I am optimistic that you will benefit from therapy, I cannot guarantee any particular results or outcomes from therapy.

There are also potential risks associated with therapy: The process of therapy can feel at times as hard, uncomfortable work. This is because the focus of therapy is on painful feelings, experiences, relationships and other life stressors.

The risks associated with therapy include but are not limited to:

• Feeling worse before you feel better. This is a natural by-product of talking about or working on problems that may have been avoided in the past. Similarly, practicing new ways of relating to others may feel uncomfortable because they are unfamiliar.

• Making decisions that temporarily increase levels of stress or feelings of discomfort that affect you and your relationships.

• Therapy can make relationships worse. Research suggests that when one spouse or partner meets alone with a therapist to discuss problems in the relationship, the person in therapy may be helped but the risk of separation in the relationship increases. That is why it is highly recommended for both partners to attend the therapy sessions together.

The risks involved with therapy are temporary but if you feel you are getting worse instead of better, please discuss this with me.