Therapy for Adults | Elle Michel Psychotherapy

Why therapy?

Our modern world is full of stressors; many of us encounter financial, emotional, and relationship difficulties every day. Therapy can be a source of support for you to get help with learning how to cope effectively with these difficulties. Many of us were not taught how to cope with our feelings in ways that were healthy.

How we were taught to cope

Some of us grew up learning to avoid all our problems, whereas others grew up learning that explosive fits of anger were the way to solve problems. Sometimes we were even taught how to cope with our feelings by hurting ourselves or others. In therapy, you can learn what emotions you’re feeling and how to cope with them safely and healthily, so you end up feeling much better most of the time.

Why now?

Many people choose to begin therapy when they’re feeling overwhelmed with the stressors of daily life or when they’ve been through a traumatic event and need some support in coping. Is there a particular area of your life that feels unmanageable, like you could use some support? Therapy will provide you with a dedicated time and place to target the issues that are bothering you and will give you the support you need to heal.

Choosing a therapist

It is very important to choose the right therapist for you. When choosing a therapist some things to consider are the location of the therapist’s office, the specialized training and background of the therapist, and the price of the therapist’s services. It is important to choose a therapist who has training in treating the issues you want to work on.

Specializations in therapy

Many of my clients come to me to work on depression, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, or trauma, because I have specialized training in treating these issues.

I encourage my clients to schedule phone consultations with two or three therapists to get a chance to talk to different people and see whom they connect with. If for any reason after a session or two you feel that we’re not the right match, then I will help you choose another therapist who may be a better match for you.

What to expect

If you’re interested in therapy, the best place to start is to call me for a free 30-minute phone consultation. Talking on the phone will give me a better idea of what you’re wanting to work on and will help me learn more about how I may be able to help you. After our phone call, you may choose to schedule an appointment.

Beginning therapy

The first two or three of our appointments will most likely focus on us getting to know each other and me getting to know your history. Because the past can affect us in so many ways, I will spend time taking a detailed history and asking lots of questions about experiences you’ve been through in the past. I will also take the time to get to know what changes you would like to see in your life.

Treating you

Once I’ve gotten a good idea of your history and what changes you would like to make, I will come up with a treatment plan for you and will explain to you what, in my view, are the best ways for you to achieve the changes you want to make, using a variety of therapeutic interventions. At that point, the real work of therapy begins. I meet with most of my clients once a week at first and will spend the session working on the goals we have come up with in the beginning, while checking to see what progress you have made week to week.