Individual Therapy

Demystifying how therapy works

Before therapy

Prior to good therapy, a person has ways of coping or making sense of their distress in ways that leave them with the feeling that it may continue forever.

When therapy is working, what is happening?

Individual psychological therapy helps with

• A person being able to explain their problem to themselves in ways where something can be done about it over one’s life - this is called case formulation.
• Improving some aspects of living, whether it be creating better relationships, reducing the impact of toxic relationships, accepting truths or multiple perspectives in ways of thinking, or more appropriately expressing all types of emotions.

Generally this is done in collaboration with an accredited therapist/psychologist who possesses a capacity understand your perspective, has useful ideas for addressing problems and can adapt their approach when progress on problems is stalling. For some people in distressing situations, this may take a couple of attempts in finding such a therapist.

References:

Wampold, B. E. & Imel, Z.E. (2015). The great psychotherapy debate: The evidence for what makes psychotherapy work. Routledge.