When someone chooses individual therapy, it is a collaborative process between them and a therapist. The main goal of therapy is to help individuals improve their quality of life and inspire change in many areas. Most people who choose to seek individual therapy do so because they have concerns that are hard to handle on their own.
Individual therapy, also called talk therapy, psychotherapy, therapy, or counseling, is one of the most common forms of mental health care. It’s designed to help people get past obstacles that stand in the way of their happiness and well-being.
Therapy can help increase positive feelings, elevate self-esteem, and create more self-compassion. While in individual therapy, individuals can learn more about the best techniques to handle complex situations, make healthy decisions, and reach life goals. Therapy is also known for helping people become more self-aware and can guide them toward growth.
What to Expect When Receiving Individual Therapy
When you visit a therapist for individual therapy for the first time, the session will be about learning more about you. First, the therapist will talk to you about various things, including your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Then, in further sessions, the therapist will come to understand you better. This allows them to help you address your concerns and decide on positive courses of action, specifically tailor to you.
The type of individual therapy you are in will determine how treatment works. Here are some examples:
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – The most common form of therapy, is an approach that helps make a connection between emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. For example, it helps you learn to replace negative thoughts with more positive ones.
- Parts Work Therapy – Also known as inner child work/inner child healing. Helps you develop a sense of self that can empathetically, from a self-compassion and curiosity stance, hold your emotions, sensations, and the young parts of self.
- Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) – This type of individual therapy works on building relationship skills and solving interpersonal crises as a way of improving lives and relieving distress symptoms.
- Somatic Therapy – Connects a person’s mind and body through mindful noticing of how stress and trauma is held in the body. This may include breath work, meditation, visualization, grounding, dance, and/or sensation awareness of how it is being held in the body.
In most cases, a therapy session is about 50-80 minutes. These may occur every week or more or less frequently depending on the mental health condition, how long the problem has been present, how intense the effects are, and how quickly someone improves in therapy.
How Does Individual Therapy Help?
While individual therapy may not fully cure any mental condition, it can offer coping skills for a healthier life. In addition, the decision to be active in therapy and work toward healing helps individuals meet their mental health goals and create a great relationship with their therapist.
Research shows that individual therapy can assist with fewer relapses in common mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. In addition, the effects of good therapy can be useful in areas beyond treatment. It’s not uncommon for those who go through therapy to indicate that mental health issues are improved, even after they complete treatment.
In many cases, individual therapy is more effective than medication or other medical treatments on their own. Sometimes, these treatments have side effects that therapy does not. In addition, therapy is evidence-based and proven to work. Clinical observations and research have been used to prove their effectiveness.
The amount of time spent in therapy will depend on the problem. Sometimes, individuals will need only a short-term therapy experience that lasts a few weeks or months. However, chronic issues may require longer-term therapy that could go on for many months or years in other situations.
Who Is Individual Therapy Helpful For?
The excellent thing about individual therapy is that it can be used for mental, emotional, behavioral, and social issues. Therapy can be used for trauma and other mental health issues with many of the same symptoms. A few of the areas where individual therapy is commonly used include:
- Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect)
- Addiction
- Anger issues
- Anxiety
- Eating disorders
- Dissociation
- Relationship problems
- Stress
- Trauma/PTSD/Complex Trauma
While all therapists can provide individual therapy, some focus on therapy for a specific disorder or set of disorders. Selecting a professional therapist who is educated and specialized in the issue you are dealing with can make the recovery process more manageable.
Where to Access Professional Individual Therapy
When you need individual therapy in Pasadena, you can count on the experts at Pasadena Trauma Therapy, Inc. We focus on the effects of trauma and can help you move into a more positive phase of your life. If you want to learn more or book a consultation appointment, you can contact us today.
