Yes, psychotherapy has strong supporting evidence of its effectiveness over no treatment, and has outcomes similar or better than medication for psychological problems, with fewer side effects, longer lasting effects, and at times with continuing improvements occurring long after the treatment has been discontinued. Some people benefit from psychotherapy or medication alone, while others benefit from a combination of psychotherapy and medication.

No, one in five adults in the US struggle with their mental health to the degree that they meet the criteria for one or more mental health disorders. Many more will suffer from a mental health condition or substance use disorder over the course of their life time. And, in fact, no one is left untouched from the problems and suffering in life for which therapy can help. To bring this point home, just consider this partial list of the things that might be addressed in therapy: the emotional and behavioral problems that some children experience, the impact this has on their parents and those around them, marital or relational problems others of us will experience, stress related to occupational, social, economic or physical health problems, the anguish of witnessing our loved ones suffer, difficult life decisions or transitions, and the inescapable reality that despite all the good and bad of life, we and our loved ones will all still eventually die. So, as the saying goes: “We are all in this boat together, and we are all sea sick.”

Psychotherapy can be as short as a few sessions and as long as a few years. Sessions can occur as often as a few times per week (though this is very rare), and as far apart as once per month (though this is not ideal). It all really depends on how much you need to work on, how much time and energy you are willing and able to dedicate to your healing and recovery; and, finally, the degree of recovery and healing you wish to achieve. Insurance will only cover therapy that is “medically necessary”, meaning your symptoms (eg, anxiety or depression) meet the criteria for a mental health disorder. However, some people enter into or continue in therapy for reasons not covered by insurance (eg, some insurance plans do not cover marital therapy), or for self-improvement beyond what an insurance company might say is “medically necessary”. The majority of the persons I have worked with over the years have participated in therapy for approximately 12 to 18 months, but certainly there have been many who have benefited from much shorter or longer courses of therapy. The persons I have worked with have typically met with me every week or every other week. And, typically, we space our sessions out further and further apart was we approach the end of the therapy, but your preference and both of our schedules also impact how frequently we will meet.

I have been trained in a number of different treatment modalities- including many of the newest evidence-based practices, such as those noted above. If you want a specific form of therapy, I will do my best to provide this to you or refer you to someone who can. My general approach is to listen and collaborate with you to get an idea of what you are looking for in therapy, and then select or adapt an approach that is a best fit based on what we have discussed. I will touch base with you often about how therapy is going and inquire about what is working and what is not. Besides checking with you, I keep a close eye on how things are going myself. I will integrate or switch to different approaches as circumstances necessitate. The key thing is that what we are doing is benefiting you and moving us closer to your goals.