ARE YOU NEW TO THERAPY?

HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER THERAPY IS RIGHT FOR ME?

We are strong believers that therapy can be beneficial for almost anyone. Therapy allows for self-reflection and growth in ways that are difficult to reproduce through other means. In addition to helping clients understand their own psychological processes, we strive to teach our clients skills they can benefit from for their entire lives. Even though therapy can be helpful for most people, individuals who experience the following symptoms or problems in their lives may especially benefit:

stressed out man during therapy session

  • Persistently sad mood for most of the day
  • Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
  • Noticeable changes in appetite
  • Anxious worry and bodily tension
  • Chronic insomnia
  • Disturbing nightmares or memories
  • Conflict in personal and professional relationships
  • Divorce or death of a loved one
  • Stress that feels difficult to control
  • Sexual concerns
  • Thoughts of suicide, self-harm, or harming others

WHY IS PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALING RIGHT FOR ME?

Therapists at Psychological Healing are highly trained in using treatments that work. Our therapists have graduated from some of the most rigorous training institutions in the United States. We have many years of experience in the mental health industry and have significant experience working with both employees of major companies in addition to members of the California community. Many of our providers have trained or have been employed in different settings across California, including regional medical centers, university counseling centers, community care clinics, and private practice. For these reasons, we believe that our providers are uniquely equipped to guide our clients through healing and toward growth and wellness.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I AM CONSIDERING THERAPY. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW?

Our mission is to make high-quality therapy as accessible and beneficial as possible. As such, we value the opportunity to treat people who are coming to therapy for the first time. We believe that giving someone a strong experience and impression of therapy can prepare them with the skills to take care of their emotional and psychological well being for their entire lives.

When you reach out to us, we will send you confidential documents to learn more about the specific problem(s) that are impacting your life. In our first appointment, we will work to get a comprehensive understanding of the problem that you are facing, assess the presence of any underlying psychiatric symptoms that could also be affecting you, and collaboratively design a treatment plan to best target the problems that you are having. When we create this plan, we always recommend engaging in specific treatments that we think may help you address the problem that you are experiencing. In this appointment, it is very important that you evaluate how comfortable you feel talking to your therapist. We believe that no matter how effective our treatments are, you can only benefit from them if you feel comfortable and open with your therapist. 

Everything that is discussed in therapy is confidential, except under the following circumstances:

  • If you pose a threat of harm to yourself, we are legally and ethically obligated to notify other individuals who can keep you safe.
  • If you indicate an imminent threat of harm to someone else. In this circumstance, we are legally and ethically obligated to notify the intended victim(s) and the police.
  • We are legally and ethnically obligated to report any abuse or neglect to individuals under the age of 18 and over the age of 65, or individuals who are legal dependents. 
  • If we are subpoenaed to provide records. In most situations, we are forced to comply with subpoenas, though this occurrence is extremely rare.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF THERAPY HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE, AND WHEN I SHOULD END TREATMENT?

During our first session, our responsibility is to make sure that we have a clear understanding of the problem(s) that you are facing. Throughout treatment we teach you a number of skills to effectively manage and overcome these problems. One of the ways in which we measure whether therapy is effective is whether you are noticing significant changes in how you handle the difficulties that you are facing, and whether the quality of your life has improved through therapy. 

Another way we measure your progress in therapy is by continuously measuring your mood symptoms using industry-standard questionnaires. This allows to understand what specific symptoms you are experiencing, how they are changing through therapy, and thus, how effective our treatments are. Typically, clients are ready to begin the process of ending therapy after they have experienced a significant reduction in their symptoms. Clients have usually completed treatment after their symptoms have substantially decreased and when the problems they initially identified have been resolved or meaningfully impacted.