Individual Therapy

Individual therapy, also known as individual counseling, is the cornerstone of my practice. I offer individual psychotherapy for a wide range of people and I use an integrated approach to ensure measurable and meaningful results.

Powerful | Effective| Meaningful | Measurable

Ages 16+

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Individual Therapy Overview

Individual therapy, also known as individual psychotherapy, involves a one-on-one session between me and you. This form of therapy focuses on addressing emotional challenges, mental health concerns, and barriers to feeling happy and content.

Individual therapy Approaches

I use various techniques and approaches tailored to the client’s needs, including cognitive-behavioral (CBT), psychodynamic, humanistic, narrative, client-centered therapy, and others. The goals often include improving coping skills, resolving conflicts, managing emotions, developing new insights, and promoting overall mental well-being. There are often some specific symptom reduction goals as well.

Issues I Treat

Individual therapy provides a confidential space to discuss your concerns without fear of judgment. I work with people on a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, self-esteem issues, general dissatisfaction and malaise, and more.

About Individual Therapy

The following covers the basics of individual therapy that I provide. Of course, you are welcome to contact me anytime to talk about your specific hopes and goals for our work together.

Individual Therapy Uses

Individual therapy can help with various concerns, challenges, and barriers. It can also help with more general senses of a lack of contentment or malaise. Here are some of the more common reasons people come in for individual psychotherapy:

1. Emotional concerns: Together, we can address emotional conditions like anxiety and depression. These challenges can present in myriad ways, from more intense feelings that come and go to milder but pervasive states of being.

2. Emotional-behavioral concerns: Some emotional concerns include a behavioral component, such as insomnia, compulsions, or panic attacks. Individual therapy can address both the emotional and behavioral components.

2. Relationship or Social Challenges: Individual therapy can help people manage specific occurrences, such as navigating through a breakup or work conflict, and more general barriers, such as social anxiety or fears of intimacy. It can also help with a more general lack of confidence and connection.

3. Grief and Loss: Individual therapy can be very helpful if you are coping with the death of a loved one, dealing with loss, or navigating the stages of grief. Treatment gives you a chance to grieve safely and comfortably, with guidance that navigates the process.

4. Stress Management: Treatment can help you learn new techniques for managing stress, anxiety, or overwhelming life situations. You’ll feel more able to cope with and handle work, home, and social challenges.

5. Self-Exploration and Growth: Individual psychotherapy is not always about challenges and barriers. Many clients come seeking personal development, enhancing self-awareness, and fostering self-improvement. Some are looking to explore existential concerns.

6. Life Transitions: Adjusting to major life changes such as career shifts, relocation, retirement, or identity exploration is a common pathway in individual therapy. These times often produce stress and uncertainty, which individual therapy can unpack.

7. Improving Self-Esteem: Individual therapy is often used for longstanding and stuck general goals, such as building self-confidence and self-worth. Educational, social, and occupational goals related to these issues can be set.

8. Parenting Challenges: This approach is used for those seeking guidance and support in navigating parenting issues and challenges.

Individual therapy offers a safe and confidential space to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It provides tools, strategies, and support to cope with challenges, improve mental health, and enhance overall well-being. The list above provides a general overview, but we can discuss how individual therapy could benefit you and help you reach your goals.

Individual Psychotherapy Techniques

Individual therapy encompasses various techniques tailored to a person’s needs. My practice is integrative, meaning that instead of focusing on one individual approach, I borrow from many approaches and braid them together for the most effective course of treatment to help you meet your goals. Here are some of my more commonly used individual therapy techniques:

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This type of individual psychotherapy focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors contributing to distress and lack of contentment. CBT is a relatively fast and scientifically proven method of reducing anxiety and improving mood. It requires some homework on your part.

2. Mindfulness-Based Techniques: Mindfulness encourages present-moment awareness, using exercises to manage stress and improve thought patterns. Mindfulness is not usually a primary focus of treatment but rather a way to boost you and make other treatments, including CBT, more effective and powerful.

3. Psychodynamic Approaches: This form of individual therapy explores unconscious thoughts and past experiences to understand present behavior and feelings. Psychodynamic individual psychotherapy often takes a little longer than other approaches, but the results can be deep and meaningful, with significant present-day positive effects.

4. Humanistic Approaches: This form of individual therapy surrounds almost every technique I use. It emphasizes personal growth, self-actualization, and understanding your unique experience. Humanistic individual counseling is optimistic, focusing on strength and potential. It is more solution-focused than focusing extensively on problems.

5. Existential Treatment: This is for clients experiencing a general malaise and lack of contentment, even when things go reasonably well. Existential therapy helps clients explore the meaning and purpose of life and confront existential challenges.

6. Narrative Treatment: I also frequently borrow from this type of treatment. It focuses on the stories we construct about our lives and how they shape our identities. Through therapy, clients learn how to challenge and change narratives that are not hopeful and optimistic and then how to pursue more positive paths.

7. Exposure and Response Prevention: For clients looking for help with phobias, fears of flying, and fears of public speaking, I provide this approach, which involves gradual and controlled exposure to anxiety-inducing situations to reduce fear and anxiety.

8. Gestalt framework: This type of individual therapy focuses on your present-moment experience and emphasizes personal responsibility. Gestalt therapy is optimistic, assuming that you have the tools to find happiness already on board.

9. Internal Family Systems: This method relates to the idea that your mind in made up of distinct sub-personalities or “parts,” each with unique thoughts, feelings, and roles. Bringing harmony to these parts brings contentment and healing.

I provide individual therapy for teens 16 years and older and adults or all ages.

Individual Psychotherapy FAQ

What individual psychotherapy techniques will you use?

My practice is integrative, meaning that I am trained in a variety of techniques and approaches that can help. When we meet and I learn more about what you are looking for, I can go over the possible combinations of individual therapy approaches, and we can choose what will work best together.

How long will individual psychotherapy take?

After you make your goals and we discuss an approach, we’ll discuss your treatment plan, which will describe how long it may take to see measurable and meaningful improvements through individual therapy.

How often will we meet?

I like to start with weekly sessions for at least 3-4 weeks to get things moving, and I can make sure I fully understand your background and what you want to achieve. After that, we can discuss the frequency of individual therapy sessions moving forward and even whether one of my specialty services that provides more frequent contact might be a good choice.

Will we meet virtually or in-person?

I meet with most clients virtually, and I’ve found no difference in the speed or effectiveness of meeting this way. If you live near my Norwood, MA, office, we can discuss meeting in person. I provide more information about virtual treatment in my blog post: Virtual Therapy Effectiveness

How will I know that individual therapy is working?

I feel strongly that it should not be a mystery whether individual counseling is working. We will outline measurable, important, and meaningful goals, and along the way, we will make sure that treatment is working to help you reach them.

Final thoughts

“Individual Counseling”

Many people refer to this form of treatment as “individual counseling” since it is designed to provide counsel while you work through your thoughts and ideas and progress toward positive change. This terminology fits well and is often used instead of “therapy.”

Counseling Design

Individual counseling is designed to help you better understand yourself, your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and develop skills to manage challenges and improve your overall well-being. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, individual counseling is designed to help you reach new levels of meaningfulness and contentment. You should feel like specific symptoms that might involve anxiety, depression, or stress have diminished, but also that you generally feel better, happier, and stronger.

Individual counseling is a unique experience in which you can discuss your concerns, experiences, and emotions in a confidential, nonjudgmental, and supportive environment. I will integrate a variety of proven and powerful therapeutic techniques, but you will truly be doing the work.

Individual Counseling Duration

Individual counseling can be short-term or long-term, depending on what challenges you want to tackle and whether you want to add new goals once you do.

It’s vitally important for clients to feel comfortable with their therapist and to establish a trusting relationship to facilitate progress and growth through inividual counseling, so please know that it is fully respected if you decide that I am not a good fit. If I am, I am humbled that you might choose me, and I pledge to ensure that your experience is as comfortable and successful as possible.