Individual Therapy, as well as other therapies, is appropriate when a person has feelings or behaviors which cause them discomfort or problems in their daily living activities.
Individual Therapy provides a confidential one-on-one contact between an individual and one of our experienced therapists. These therapy sessions address a variety of clinical problems ranging from mild adjustment disorders to more treatment-intensive disorders requiring a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Common problems that are frequently treated with individual therapy include disorders of childhood and adolescence, anxiety disorders, stress related physiological disorders, depression, and disorders associated with exposure to traumatic situations.
There are a variety of types of individual therapy utilized at Behavior Management Associates from which you and your therapist may choose.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of treatment that focuses on examining the relationships between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. By exploring patterns of thinking that lead to self-destructive actions and the beliefs that direct these thoughts, people with behavior or emotional problems can modify their patterns of thinking to improve coping. People who seek CBT can expect their therapist to be problem-focused, and goal-directed in addressing the challenging symptoms of mental distress. Because CBT is an active intervention, one can also expect to do homework or practice outside of sessions.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a type of treatment for patients with depression which focuses on past and present social roles and interpersonal interactions. During treatment, the therapist generally chooses one or two problem areas in the patient's current life to focus on. Examples of areas covered are disputes with friends, family or co-workers, grief and loss and role transitions, such as retirement or divorce. IPT does not attempt to delve into inner conflicts resulting from past experiences. Rather it attempts to help the patient find better ways to deal with current problems. IPT identifies four basic problem areas which contribute to depression. The therapist helps the patient determine which area is the most responsible for their depression and therapy is then directed at helping the patient deal with this problem area.
Unresolved grief – In normal bereavement, the person usually begins to return to normal functioning within a few months. Unresolved grief is generally grief which is delayed and experienced long after the loss or distorted grief, in which the person may not feel emotions, but instead experiences other symptoms.
Role disputes occur when the patient and significant people in his life have different expectations about their relationship.
Role transitions – Depression may occur during life transitions when a person's role changes and one doesn't know how to cope with the change.
Interpersonal deficits – This may be an area of focus if the patient has had problems with forming and maintaining good quality relationships.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is typically applied with short term problems such as making life decisions or in adjusting to changes in one's environment such as children leaving home. SFBT emphasizes what the client wants to achieve through therapy rather than concentrating on the client's problems. The approach emphasizes the present and future rather than focusing the past. The therapist/counselor uses respectful curiosity to invite the client to envision a preferred future and then helps the client start moving toward it. By helping clients identify the things they wish to change in their lives—and also to attend to those things that are currently happening that they hope will continue happening. http://www.sfbta.org/.