Individual Counseling and Psychotherapy

Every year, millions of people face anxiety, depression, trauma, and many other things that can jeopardize their mental health. These stressors often provoke unwanted feelings, thoughts, or deep sadness. They can even become an obstacle to everyday responsibilities and activities. While these conditions can feel isolating and can make a patient believe there is no way to get better, individual counseling and psychotherapy can be a positive solution.

Individual counseling is the sessions between a licensed counselor and an individual patient. This is the most common form of counseling, as it is very effective for a multitude of problems and concerns. Individual counseling sessions are private, confidential meetings with a counselor where patients can discuss their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Many people decide to go to individual counseling to get equipped with coping methods to manage their symptoms, as well as to hear objective feedback from a third party.

Psychotherapy is the therapy given by a licensed counselor or therapist to help improve a patient’s mental health and quality of life. It can also serve to help diagnosed mental illnesses and help improve emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. There are many different

forms of psychotherapy which include but are not limited to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), psychodynamic therapy, exposure and response prevention (ERP), and humanist therapy.

With each type of psychotherapy, there are different reasons each method may be used. Some of the most common symptoms and mental illnesses are anxiety related. There are six main types of anxiety disorders being, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, phobias, and social anxiety. Each type of anxiety and anxiety disorder is highly treatable, as there have been significant amounts of research conducted on each one.

There are many other reasons one might seek individual counseling such as depression, career planning, substance abuse, and more. To simplify, most people with a concern for their mental health and who want to improve their quality of life can greatly benefit from individual counseling. In fact, about 75% of people saw benefits from attending psychotherapy sessions, which shows how effective it is, no matter a patient’s conditions and symptoms. Licensed counselors are equipped and knowledgeable about many different conditions and can treat a wide variety of symptoms. If you are unsure if your condition is treatable by individual counseling, please do not hesitate to call us and ask.

Just like going to a doctor to receive treatment for an illness such as a cold or the flu, those who are struggling with their mental health should seek help as well. Many believe you must be in a mental health crisis or experiencing a severe mental illness to seek help from a counselor. Truthfully, patients should seek out individual counseling once they start noticing symptoms of a mental health concern. Even if a patient’s symptoms are not severely hindering their quality of life, it is still very beneficial to see a counselor. With mental health, it is better to be proactive rather than reactive whenever possible.