Individual Therapy
PROFESSIONAL, CONFIDENTIAL
At Brentwood Counseling Associates, you will experience a supportive and caring approach to finding the direction and solutions you need. And for most of our clients, this happens in individual therapy. In this one-on-one relationship, you can expect to start out by getting to know your therapist and working with him or her to set goals for your counseling experience. The two of you will then meet regularly until you feel like you’ve reached those goals.
What is it?
If you’re new to individual therapy, you might wonder what actually happens in those sessions. Although each of the therapists here at BCA has his or her own individual style, we all use “talk therapy” as our primary treatment modality. But what does that process look like, exactly? Just as therapists are often depicted on TV or in the movies, we do a lot of listening. But we also offer feedback and keep our clients moving toward change – after all, most of them have come to therapy because something isn’t working. In other words, we engage in always supportive, and sometimes challenging, discussions with our clients that build session-by-session to progress toward achievement of the therapy goals.
What's it for?
Our clients seek individual therapy for many different reasons. Sometimes they don’t even know exactly what’s wrong at first, they just know that something in their life isn’t working. The therapists at BCA are all trained to support clients in figuring out not only what’s wrong, but what might be causing it, and most importantly, what to do about it. We ask lots of questions and gather as much information in order to know what we’re looking at and how to best treat it.
What kinds of problems can individual therapy help with?
Some concerns that cause people to seek individual therapy are able to be given a clinical diagnosis. Two of the most common diagnosable mental health conditions that we see in society at large, as well as in our practice here at BCA, are depression and anxiety. We also treat various manifestations of the two, such as bipolar depression and social anxiety. Many of our clients have already been diagnosed with some form of depression or anxiety, and have been referred to us by their primary care physician or a psychiatric medical provider such as a psychiatrist. We at BCA are happy to consult with our clients’ medical providers to provide thorough coordination of care. Other diagnosable mental health conditions that we treat in individual therapy include, but are not limited to substance abuse/addictions, PTSD, disordered eating, and OCD.
Diagnosable Mental Health Conditions
Many of our clients come to BCA seeking help around relationship problems. Some have, for example, unresolved issues with their parents or siblings that go back to childhood. Others want to learn ways to stop getting into one codependent relationship after another. Some have identified unhealthy patterns of interaction within friendships or social relationships that they’re ready to change. And some learn during the process of individual therapy that they and their partner could benefit from couples counseling. Relationship concerns are one of the most common reasons that people begin therapy. After all, unless you live in a vacuum, you’ve most likely experienced at least one relationship in your life. And because we’re human, we make mistakes in those relationships and occasionally need some guidance to get them back on track. Individual therapy is one way of figuring out where a relationship has gone wrong, and what can be done about it.
Relational Concerns
As we move through life, things are constantly changing. Think about the often-tumultuous road to adulthood during adolescence. Or the life changes around career, marriage, and children that happen throughout young adulthood and middle age. Or the loss of parents, siblings, and friends as we age. Much of life consists of one transition to the next, and sometimes we need support as we navigate those changes. Phase-of-life concerns are therefore some of the most common presenting problems we help clients address. No matter the age or stage, there will be occasional stumbling blocks along the road of life, and sometimes you’ll even get stuck. We at BCA are ready to join in your journey to help smooth those transitions.
Whatever you might be struggling with, please don’t hesitate to contact us. In difficult times, individual therapy can make a big difference. And our therapists are ready to do what we can to help you get through them.