what is therapy

What is Therapy and How Does It Work?

How does therapy work? If you ask this question of several therapists, you are likely to get as many answers as you have therapists.  I’ll share with you my thoughts on therapy and how it works.

Taking yourself seriously

First of all, therapy is about taking your emotional and inner life seriously, maybe for the first time. Beyond that, we all have places in our lives where we feel unaccountably stuck, or sad, anxious, or angry. The work I do with people is about finding out what is underneath that stuck feeling or the sadness, the anger or anxiety. When we look deeply at where our feelings come from, we can make surprising discoveries about their origins.  I work with people on learning how to navigate past these feelings and on to greater feelings of success, happiness and well-being.  Therapy is primarily a process of discovery, development and gradual change. While permanent change can take some time, when we begin our work, I can share with you tools and coping skills you can use immediately to reduce the things you find most distressing.

Working on your life can feel great, 
even when it's hard work

That said, there’s no magic to it – therapy can be hard work and can be painful at times. It can mean looking at the underside of your life and being honest about things that so far have been too painful to face. But you don’t have to face those moments alone – making the choice to go to therapy is about making a connection with a therapist and facing those moments together. And even though it seems counterintuitive, there can be something joyful and liberating about finally working on your life, even when it's tough.

Since finding a therapist that feels like the right fit is important, I encourage you to contact me for a free 20-minute consultation. I use these brief sessions to see if it feels to you like we can work together on some of the things that are keeping you from the life you want.

I look forward to hearing from you

While this isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, here are some common things people work on in therapy: