This is a five stages guide to help you better understand what to expect from me. A lot of people book an appointment with a therapist and feel confused. Most of the time they do not know what to expect which creates a lot of disturbances, worrying and fear.
I want to be as clear as I can to prepare you, give you knowledge, the power of choice and a sense of control when it comes to your wellbeing.
Consider this an open dialogue where we use verbal and non-verbal language to learn how to better communicate and connect. Keep in mind, as we are no robots blindly following orders, that this is always work in progress.
I take the first few sessions to get to know you. This is done in a form of informal interviewing , assessing different levels of focus.
My aim is to:
i) collect your background information, and
ii) understand your current situation.
This stage helps us create a baseline that we can keep revisiting to assess our progress . We complete this stage by setting up your therapeutic goals.
Now that I have a better understanding of your situation I use a variety of disciplines and a range of evidence-based methods proven to best tackle your current needs to start designing your custom-made therapeutic plan. My aim is to determine the best combination of therapeutic tools to help you for a specific problem you might be facing.
Together we set short-term and long-term therapy goals and we keep revising them during the course of therapy. I am direct and collaborative with my approach while simultaneously I respect my clients’ boundaries, pace and the importance of right timing . I aim for therapy to flow.
For some people having planned sessions is the right approach for them yet for others the need might be to first talk-it-out. This applies also for one person having different needs at different times. Especially if we are focusing on topics such as Grief, Loss, Acceptance, Bullying, Trauma and other deeper life experiences, talking and letting it out helps people process emotions, images and thoughts at a deeper level.
With close collaboration between us we take the needed time to do the work. While exploring unresolved issues we need to follow an internal process (i.e. thoughts, feelings, physical) and an external process (i.e. behavioural, environmental).
Challenging our perception about Ourselves, Others, The World and Spirituality often create conflicts. Doing the work requires you to show up and apply yourself with honesty and determination.
Therapy is a lot about overcoming obstacles so trying to accept that this is a path you can’t go around it but you need to go through it will help you be better prepared and feel stronger.
I care to explore how you are progressing and if you are satisfied with our work. This stage is fluid as I use it at various times to revisit all previous stages and re-assess various points of interest.
It is of immense importance to take this action, to keep reflecting and evaluating our progress, therapeutic goals, your perceptions, physical and emotional states, relationships and environmental realities. Time is transient and our experiences shape us continuously.
It is then required from me as a responsible therapist to re-visit, re-assess, re-design and re-group to try to meet your needs and to observe your development, offering to you my guide and feedback.
In this stage, a relapse prevention plan is created to review what has been learned in treatment. Imagine a backpack full of handy tools and techniques that now you carry and have the choice to use when you decide either when you are feeling vulnerable, when you think you have fallen off the horse or when you want to take a leap forward.
We discuss in detail how this relapse prevention plan can be applied to the future and think of any possible drawbacks. We hold the perception that everything is perfect in their own way and form so we are able to accept a possible relapse and move away from a harsh self-judgement. We enlist coping strategies offering you a safety plan to carry you through when therapy is over.
Completing our therapy would give you a sense of accomplishment, reassurance and empowerment. Now you can be more present in your Self, your life and your relationships with others.