Types of Psychotherapy

Many of us were brought up in families where significant feelings and issues are evaded, ignored, avoided or denied entirely. When we hit stress points in life created by significant or unexpected change old issues can kick up in the present and we can feel overwhelmed and lose our equilibrium. We can become very anxious or depressed and sometimes we can’t focus. No one is immune to these difficult times since things do occur unpredictably, outside our ability to control it at times. When these undercurrents of painful emotions run through our daily lives it is a wise decision to seek help. The type of help that is recommended by a therapist will depend on the situation and the most efficacious way to approach it.

I use a variety of therapy formats:

Collaboration With Other Professionals

At times a client may be suffering from acute or chronic anxiety, agitated depression, insomnia, attentional difficulties or other symptoms that significantly interfere with an ability to think clearly and function well. At such times I might recommend they consider having a medication evaluation with a psychiatrist who has special knowledge of psychotropic medications that might provide relief from debilitating symptoms. I never pressure anyone to act on this recommendation. If a client opposes this idea the decision is their own and I will respect it as a reasonable choice given their feelings about it. However, often when a client decides to use medication on a trial basis, they experience significant relief. This can help a person considerably in making the best use of psychotherapy. When a person is calmer and, metaphorically speaking, the “fever” is brought down with medication so they can focus more clearly, they are helped to do the emotional work of sorting things out more easily. About one third of my clients take medication and feel it helps them to engage in “talk therapy” more effectively.

I have had long collaborative relationships with psychiatrists I can recommend for medication assessments who I feel are particularly talented with this. I also can recommend other medical and alternative health specialists when needed and requested. I have been in practice in the greater Washington area for over 40 years so my roots are deep in knowing what specialists to turn to when the help of a medical or alternative specialist is needed.