What is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is a process whereby psychological problems are treated through communication and relationship factors between an individual and a therapist.
While most psychotherapy hinges on communication between the therapist and the individual, it is much more than talking about your problems. While family or friends can help you feel better or even provide good advice for change, this is not psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a professional relationship between a therapist and a client that is based on therapeutic principles, structure and technique.
Therapists are trained to understand what you say — your words, how you say them and which ones you do not use. They pay attention to body language and voice tone to fully understand your speech.
Having learned about and treated people with your condition before, therapists can comprehend your particular problems. They are familiar with the symptoms of various psychiatric illnesses and the difficulties of daily living. They know what questions to ask and might pose questions that you have never heard before. The communication between patient and therapist is not equal. Therapists rarely will reveal their opinions or stances on various issues, such as religion or politics.
Psychotherapy is a process whereby psychological problems are treated through communication and relationship factors between an individual and a therapist.
While most psychotherapy hinges on communication between the therapist and the individual, it is much more than talking about your problems. While family or friends can help you feel better or even provide good advice for change, this is not psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a professional relationship between a therapist and a client that is based on therapeutic principles, structure and technique.
Therapists are trained to understand what you say — your words, how you say them and which ones you do not use. They pay attention to body language and voice tone to fully understand your speech.
Having learned about and treated people with your condition before, therapists can comprehend your particular problems. They are familiar with the symptoms of various psychiatric illnesses and the difficulties of daily living. They know what questions to ask and might pose questions that you have never heard before. The communication between patient and therapist is not equal. Therapists rarely will reveal their opinions or stances on various issues, such as religion or politics.
Art TherapyArt Therapy is a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self esteem and self awareness, and achieve insight.
Art therapists are professionals trained in both art and therapy. They are knowledgeable about human development, psychological theories, clinical practice, spiritual, multicultural and artistic traditions, and the healing potential of art. They use art in treatment, assessment and research, and provide consultations to allied professionals. Art therapists work with people of all ages: individuals, couples, families, groups and communities. They provide services, individually and as part of clinical teams, in settings that include mental health, rehabilitation, medical and forensic institutions; community outreach programs; wellness centers; schools; nursing homes; corporate structures; open studios and independent practices. American Art Therapy Association The arts stimulate the imagination, problem solving abilities, and creativity. Art Therapy combines the arts and psychology, and taps into human beings’ natural needs to communicate in non-verbal ways. Many times, experiences that cannot be verbalized are projected into art forms that are experienced in new and different ways, and are reframed and restructured for healing, growth, and positive functioning in the world. Expressive arts can provide a quicker and sometimes more gentle way of getting at the issues that keep a person from fully functioning. Art therapy taps into experiences buried deep within the unconscious, cellular memories and trauma that occurred on a preverbal level. |
PsychoanalysisAs a therapy, psychoanalysis is based on the observation that individuals are often unaware of many of the factors that determine their emotions and behavior. These unconscious factors may create unhappiness, sometimes in the form of recognizable symptoms and at other times as troubling personality traits, difficulties in work or in love relationships, or disturbances in mood and self-esteem. Because these forces are unconscious, the advice of friends and family, the reading of self-help books, or even the most determined efforts of will, often fail to provide relief.
Psychoanalytic treatment demonstrates how these unconscious factors affect current relationships and patterns of behavior, traces them back to their historical origins, shows how they have changed and developed over time, and helps the individual to deal better with the realities of adult life. Analysis is an intimate partnership, in the course of which the patient becomes aware of the underlying sources of his or her difficulties not simply intellectually, but emotionally - by re-experiencing them with the analyst. Typically, the patient comes three times a week, lies on a couch, and attempts to say everything that comes to mind. These conditions create the analytic setting, which permits the emergence of aspects of the mind not accessible to other methods of observation. As the patient speaks, hints of the unconscious sources of current difficulties gradually begin to appear - in certain repetitive patterns of behavior, in the subjects which the patient finds hard to talk about, in the ways the patient relates to the analyst. The analyst helps elucidate these for the patient, who refines, corrects, rejects, and adds further thoughts and feelings. During the years that an analysis takes place, the patient wrestles with these insights, going over them again and again with the analyst and experiencing them in daily life, in fantasies, and in dreams. Patient and analyst join in efforts not only to modify crippling life patterns and remove incapacitating symptoms, but also to expand the freedom to work and to love. Eventually the patient's life - his or her behavior, relationships, sense of self - changes in deep and abiding ways. Psychoanalysts strive very hard to LISTEN to their patients-- and to understand. This focus on listening and understanding is one of the dynamics that separates psychoanalysts from those mental health practitioners who see their prime goal as PRESCRIBING either behavior or medications. |
Group Art TherapyThere are many benefits to art therapy group work. Groups are a beneficial way to instill hope in each of the members by providing them a space to feel a sense of support while relating with others through witnessing their stories of overcoming or solving problems. Art therapy groups also offer members an opportunity to interact and engage at their own comfort level regardless of verbal communication skills while sharing art surrounded by others who share similar problems, uncertainties, fears, thus helping to reduce feelings of isolation. Group work also provides individual members with a safe space to release and express feelings while contained in a supportive group helping to overcome traumatic experiences with verbal and non verbal interactions. Finally, group work can provide a sense of altruism where members heal through helping others as well as being helped personally by other group members.
Current Art Therapy Groups Pathways through Art Therapy Day: Monday Time: 5:00 PM- 6:30 PM Age: Open to individuals age 14-18 Location: 576 State HWY 248, Suite 3 Cost: $20 per group/ all materials included Must attend individual consultation before joining the group. The creative process is a positive experience for young people, and participation in the arts provide many benefits. This group helps young people find dormant or untapped creative potential, It combines the introspective and profoundly personal nature of the creative arts with the social experience of group therapy. This powerful therapeutic setting creates new lines of communication and avenues for change to emerge. This group provides the necessary environment for psychological growth and movement for young people searching for some understanding, some method of communication, or a meaningful connection with others, Healing Expressions Day: Monday Time: 7:00 PM- 8:30 PM Age: Open to adults 18 and older Location: 576 State HWY 248, Suite 3 Cost: $20 per group/ all materials included Must attend individual consultation before joining the group. This group helps adults experiencing job stress, searching for meaning in their life or needing an outlet for their emotions. The art therapy group setting stimulates the imagination, problem solving abilities, and creativity. Experiences that cannot be verbalized are projected into art forms and are experienced in new and different ways. This process helps reframe and restructure struggles for healing and personal growth. Expressive arts can provide a unique way of getting at the barriers that keep a person from self-actualization. Art therapy taps into experiences buried deep within the unconscious. |
