| If you, like many people, have an underlying sense of | | | | powerful method of opening up to feelings, but it is |
| dissatisfaction with your life, have unsatisfying | | | | not for everyone as it can be quite intense. |
| relationships, have bouts of "the blues" or just feel | | | | Hypnosis: Hypnotists avoid work with feelings or |
| trapped in your life, then you may want to find a | | | | cognition. Their goal is to take away the symptom |
| therapist. A good therapist can help. If you are | | | | with simple hypnotic suggestions. Some people are |
| suicidal, have any kind of addiction process going, | | | | more suggestive than others, and the method is |
| have panic or anxiety attacks, are harming yourself | | | | more effective for some people than others. There |
| or others (or just thinking about it), are seriously | | | | are a variety of hypnotic methods, but they all work |
| depressed, have wide mood swings, or hear voices | | | | with the idea that our mind is capable of |
| inside or outside of your head then you must find a | | | | unconsciously changing anything that we experience. |
| therapist. | | | | It can be used with addictions, pain, or any troubling |
| Locating a therapist that is a good fit for you can be | | | | condition. Generally speaking, it deals with the |
| a challenge. Therapists come in all shapes, | | | | symptom and does not address the underlying |
| personalities, ages and colors and have widely varying | | | | causes. It can be an amazing and surprisingly powerful |
| levels of skill and methodology. There are whole | | | | way to reduce or eliminate symptoms. Hypnotism |
| books on finding a therapist. But the simplest method | | | | can be used to help uncover repressed traumatic |
| is finding the names of four or five therapists and | | | | memories. Sometimes this can be re-traumatising, so |
| start interviewing them. You can find the names by | | | | if you choose to do this be aware that you could be |
| asking people you know who are in therapy | | | | causing more harm. |
| (preferably ones in whom you have observed | | | | Inner Child/Family: This approach is where a therapist |
| positive changes), looking in the phone book, asking | | | | recognizes that inside each of us is an internal |
| your insurance company, or on the Internet. Many | | | | representation of ourselves as a child, and perhaps, |
| therapists do not charge for the initial meeting, but | | | | each of our family members. In working with the |
| you need to clarify that with them up front. If they | | | | internal family or child the therapist can readily unravel |
| do not, it doesn't mean they are not someone you | | | | the events and cognitions that created the problems |
| would want to see, it may mean that they are | | | | the person is having today. Therapists who work |
| heavily booked and can't afford to book an unpaid | | | | with this approach are generally open to processing |
| session. | | | | of feelings and working to change cognitions that are |
| If you are familiar with the different types of | | | | problematic. |
| therapy you may want to find out what modes of | | | | Family Systems: Systems therapists approach |
| therapy they use. Here is a brief synopsis of the | | | | individual problems as an issue of family dynamics. |
| different therapy methods: | | | | Often they will work with as many family members |
| Brief Therapy: These therapists will want to have | | | | as they can enlist in therapy. It can impact your life in |
| you out of therapy in a short amount of time. They | | | | many dimensions at once. The only problem is that |
| may have a standard length of treatment that they | | | | not all families willingly participate. The systems |
| adhere to or expect as usual. Generally, this is from 8 | | | | theoretical base is similar to the Inner Family |
| to 12 sessions. The work is geared toward reframing | | | | approach in that they will recognize how the family |
| how you see your problems. It can be quite | | | | has impacted how you have developed as a person. |
| effective, but for people with deeper issues, it may | | | | Eclectic: To be eclectic means to draw on a number |
| not be the best choice. | | | | of resources. Eclectic therapists use skills from any |
| Cognitive Therapy: "Cognitive" means "thinking". | | | | number of methods in which they may have had |
| These therapists focus on changing how you think. | | | | some training. They will use what seems to be |
| For them it's not WHAT happened to you, but HOW | | | | needed at the moment and not rely completely on |
| you think about it that matters. There are feelings | | | | form of therapy. The majority of therapists in private |
| that arise from pure cognitive work, but it is not the | | | | practice use multiple methods in working with clients. |
| focus of the work. Cognitive therapy has long been | | | | This approach is not only common; it is what most |
| recognized as effective and a powerful tool for | | | | people find comfortable. |
| change. Cognitive therapists nay not opt to address | | | | Once you have booked the interview, write down a |
| deeper or older grief, because they tend to address | | | | list of questions of things that are important to you. |
| only how you think about things in the present. | | | | Some suggested questions could be (depending on |
| Psychoanalysis: This is Freud's' method of therapy. | | | | what your priorities are): |
| Purely psychoanalytic therapists sit at the end of a | | | | How frequently should we book sessions? |
| couch and ask the client to lie down in a position | | | | Are you available for emergency sessions if I am in a |
| where they cannot see the therapist. The therapist | | | | bad place? |
| says little more than; "Is that so?" or "What else". | | | | How do you handle between session phone calls? |
| Many therapists use the theories of psychoanalysis | | | | How long have you been practicing? |
| without doing pure psychoanalysis. A strongly | | | | How comfortable are you with expressions of |
| psychoanalytic therapist will say very little in session. | | | | intense emotion? (This one is hard because you will |
| Psychoanalysis generally takes years to complete and | | | | only really know the answer once you have let |
| can be powerfully effective. Some people are | | | | yourself have some feelings with this person.) |
| uncomfortable with a therapist that interacts so little | | | | If I were to tell you that I was suicidal (clarify for |
| with them. | | | | them if this is true or not), what would you say to |
| Person-Oriented Psychotherapy: This is Carl Rogers' | | | | me? |
| method. Carl Rogers himself was a gentle, kind man | | | | Are you religious? (You may want to have them |
| who listened very intently. He developed the skill of | | | | clarify how that will impact therapy, if at all.) |
| "Mirroring", and defined "Empathetic Listening". | | | | The answers to these questions, along with any |
| Person-Oriented therapists are very gentle, kind and | | | | others that you come up with on your own, will |
| empathetic listeners. People often find themselves | | | | impact each of us differently. Some of these may |
| quite comfortable with this type of therapist. But | | | | not matter to you; just ask the ones that do. But |
| again, therapy can take a very long time. | | | | the most important thing to determine in the session |
| Body-Centered Psychotherapy: Bodywork is a | | | | is: Do you feel comfortable disclosing information |
| method of psychotherapy that focus's on the body. | | | | about your most personal issues with this person? |
| By focusing on your body, bodywork therapists | | | | Does this person feel safe? If you feel uneasy with |
| assist in opening the flow of emotions. Depending on | | | | this person you may need to keep looking. |
| your needs and capabilities, the work can move into | | | | While the task of finding a therapist may feel |
| simple physical exercises designed to connect you | | | | overwhelming, it's well worth the effort. Recent |
| more deeply with yourself. Some minor touch may | | | | studies suggest that psychotherapy is more |
| be used. You will need to discuss your comfort level | | | | effective than medication alone for depression and |
| and boundaries with the therapist. This can be a | | | | even anxiety. |