Individual Therapy For Adults In Dallas, Texas

More About Individual Therapy for Adults & Teens In Dallas, Texas

 

Sometimes life gets difficult and we need help to sort things out. That’s where I come in. Individual therapy is beneficial for all kinds of reasons, whether that is overcoming a challenge you’re facing or pushing toward your goals. Individual therapy involves meeting one-on-one for a set amount of time at regular intervals--usually weekly or every other week. At Therapy With Abby, I’ll start by conducting an assessment to see where you’re at. Then we’ll set goals and expectations together before getting to work.

 

Individual therapy may be a good idea if you’re facing:
 

• Mental health concerns

• Unwanted thoughts and feelings

• A painful event, like grief or rejection

• A difficult life transition, like divorce or job change

• Grief

• Feeling “stuck,” maybe even without knowing why

 

As a licensed, Masters-level clinician, I have expertise in a wide variety of mental health disorders and how to treat them. Disorders often treated in individual therapy include:
 

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Bipolar I and II

• Personality disorders like borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

 

There are different techniques and models used within individual therapy. The most commonly used model is cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT. It involves identifying irrational or unhelpful thoughts, and then learning and practicing healthier, more adaptive ways of thinking and behaving. Another common model is interpersonal therapy, or IPT. IPT involves building understanding and insight into problems you’re facing, typically relationships.

 

Does Individual Therapy Work?

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Each therapy technique has its own research behind it. Generally, though, evidence indicates therapy is very effective. For many mental health issues, such as anxiety, therapy is shown to be even more effective than medication.

 

The American Psychological Association reviewed research on the effectiveness of therapy, and found the following benefits:

 

• Reduced disability and mortality

• Improved functioning at work

• New life skills that last well beyond the end of therapy

• Fewer side effects than medication, if any

 

There are a few tricks to making sure you’re getting the most out of therapy. One of them is finding the right therapist—someone who sees your strengths and respects your unique goals. I try to do this for all my clients by individualizing treatment for each of them.

 

Myths of Therapy

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Sometimes people think they need to have a “good reason” to go to therapy. They might feel that therapy is only for people with severe mental health problems, like suicidal thoughts. Or they might think it’s for “crazy” people, though just what that means is different from person to person.

 

These ideas are often tied to stigma around mental health. Just like people’s physical health suffers from time to time, so does mental health. Events that could cause someone to try therapy include a life transition, like divorce or job change; hardships like work stress or being bullied at school; or no reason at all. Sometimes people find themselves “stuck” without knowing why, and therapy helps them find what’s keeping them from moving forward.

 

There are also people who feel that anyone can be a therapist, and there’s no need to find a professional when they can rely on friends, family, etc. for support. Those types of supports, or “informal” supports, are great to have and are definitely helpful. But there are times when a professional or “formal” support, like a therapist, is helpful because they are consistent, knowledgeable, and experienced.

 

Some people also believe that if they start therapy, they’ll be going to therapy forever. This isn’t true, and actually, therapy is never meant to go on indefinitely. Good therapy involves concrete goals that, once met, mean you’re ready to stop. If therapy isn’t working for whatever reason, it could be that another form of treatment is needed. We’ll check in with each other regularly on how you’re progressing, how you’re doing on goals, and approximately how much longer you need in therapy to reach those goals.

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If you think individual therapy may be right for you, reach out to me! I opened my therapy practice here in Dallas, Texas to help people in my community be as healthy as they can be. I’d love to talk with you about your goals and how we can work together to achieve them.