Frequently Asked Questions
What is Psychotherapy?
The less aware we are of thoughts , feelings, motives and behaviours, the more they control us. Psychotherapy helps clients understand their “stories”, the experiences that shaped them, the defences that have helped protect them and the patterns of habits that are now preventing them from living a satisfying life. It’s important that psychotherapy progress at a pace that is comfortable and safe for the client.
What can Psychotherapy do for me that a self-help book can’t?
Self-help books contain generalizations, based on someone else’s story, or on a combination of stories. While self-help books play an important role in our culture, they don’t offer the flexible, individualized approach that is often needed to bring lasting life changes. In addition, books do not offer the therapeutic relationship that can encourage us and hold us to a greater level of accountability.
How do I choose the right therapist for me?
Most people can tell after an initial session whether they feel comfortable with a therapist’s style. Please feel free to speak up if you do not feel comfortable with the therapist. We want you to feel that you can develop an alliance of trust with your therapist - that is when therapy works best. We want to help you get to the right therapist.
Can I expect to feel better right away?
Some people begin to feel better as soon as they make their appointment or at the time of their first session. There can be a sense of relief when you make the commitment to address an issue that is problematic. More often. however, people do not feel better immediately. Therapy is sometimes emotionally painful, because it involves an active effort to look at yourself and your life situations in a very deep and honest way, and to make some difficult changes. If the problems that bring you to therapy were easy to solve, you would have solved them without the guidance of a professional. Though the short-term distress of addressing problems and making changes may feel challenging, keep in mind that the potential long term gains can feel well worth it. When therapy is successful, the positive gains in self esteem, improved relationships and coping skills will far outweigh the distress of making changes.
Does what we talk about in therapy remain confidential?
Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and a psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist’s office. Every therapist should provide a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (physician, lawyer, etc), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission.
However, provincial law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:
Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders to the authorities, including Child Protection and Law Enforcement, based on information provided by the client of collateral sources
If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threatened to harm another person
If the therapist is subpoenaed to appear in court as a witness