Therapy

Psychotherapy has both benefits and risks. Risks may include experiencing uncomfortable feelings, such as sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, frustration, loneliness and helplessness, because the process of psychotherapy often requires discussing the unpleasant aspects of your life.  However, psychotherapy has been shown to have benefits for individuals who undertake it.  Therapy often leads to a significant reduction in feelings of distress, increased satisfaction in interpersonal relationships, greater personal awareness and insight, increased skills for managing stress and resolutions to specific problems.  But, there are no guarantees about what will happen.  Psychotherapy requires a very active effort on your part. In order to be most successful, it is recommended that you work on things discussed outside of sessions.

 It is important to remember that progress occurs at different rates for different individuals depending on numerous factors.  For some individuals, symptoms may worsen during the course of assessment or early stages of treatment.  Be sure to inform your clinician or treatment provider if you are experiencing significant distress or your symptoms such as depression or anxiety worsen, so that various treatment options can be discussed.