Frequently Asked Questions for
Adult & Family Therapy
Adult Therapy
What is therapy?
Therapy is a process of meeting with a therapist to help relieve a problem that prevents you from reaching your potential. It is an empirically proven tool to help you reach your goals and enjoy the success you deserve. You may need therapy if a feeling, thought, or life event is distressing or interferes with some aspect of life.
Do I need therapy?
When thinking about distress, here are some issues to consider:
Do you or someone close to you spend some amount of time every week thinking about the problem?
Is the problem embarrassing, to the point that you want to hide from others?
Over the past few months, has the problem reduced your quality of life?
When thinking about interference, some other issues may deserve consideration:
Does the problem take up considerable time (e.g., more than an hour per day)?
Have you curtailed your work or educational ambitions because of the problem?
Are you rearranging your lifestyle to accommodate the problem?
A “yes” response to any of these questions suggests that you might wish to consider seeking professional help. Clearly, the decision to enter into therapy is a very personal one.
What problems do your therapists help with?
We provide a wide range of services, and so can help with a wide range of problems including depression, anxiety, behavioral or neurobehavioral problems such as ADHD, anger, life changes, or relationship concerns. If appropriate, we also provide psychological or neuropsychological evaluations to gather a more thorough and valid understanding as to what issues may be contributing to the problem.
What is the length of treatment?
The length of treatment for psychological problems will necessarily vary from one individual to another. Essentially, the treatment (type and duration) should always be matched appropriately to the nature and severity of the person's presenting difficulties. Acute difficulties usually require fewer treatment sessions than do chronic conditions. Moreover, length of treatment also varies with the type of treatment provided; cognitive behavioral treatments, which focus on a specific problem, are generally briefer than are psychotherapies with a broader focus.
It is important to consider the following when determining the length of treatment:
Therapy successfully ends when the patient has accomplished the goals mutually agreed upon with the therapist.
Discussion of treatment length should be part of your conversation with the therapist.
Treatment length is often tentative and revisited throughout the course of treatment.
Source: APA Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology)