Focus on efficiency and emotional support – by Valeria
Most of the clients who make contact to arrange their first psychology appointment already have some idea in mind about what they want to get out of seeing a therapist, even if the desired outcome is still not 100% clear for them yet. Most of them also want to get the result from therapy as deeply and as quickly as possible, while experiencing as little pain and distress in the process of work as possible too.
And that it what as a psychologist I have been working towards my whole professional life and still continue my development towards. Many of us avoid distressing or unpleasant expeirences, which are in our best interests to face, as they are indicating that there is a problem that needs our attention. So what would the client prefer – to be supported with having a problem or to be helped with solving the problem? Our service is focused on helping people to solve the problem and to achieve as much freedom and happiness in the reality of their lives as possible.
Our work is a fine balance between challenging a person to face and deal with their problems, fears and pain (which is often a challenging and unpleasant experience), while providing them with compassionate support and encourangement and having a positive outlook.
Growing as a therapist – putting pressure on and challenging clients to do better was something I felt most conflicted about. Should not I be supportive when someone is having difficulty? The reality is that have learned that I am the most supportive when I help my clients to achieve the best result they are capable of, which also helps them to get on top of their problems faster and as a consequence to suffer less in the future, to save time and money on ‘needing me’ or coming to talk to me (unless it is their free choice), and to become a more confident individual who is taking steps to have the life that they want faster.
Which brings us to why I use ISTDP as a treatment of choice.
The main appealing factor is how highly effective it is not just for resolution of a wide range of symptoms, but also for a deeper positive changes which last for a long time, if not forever (when the core issue is resolved). It is a reality based approach where both therapist and a client do a lot of work in a short period of time if a structured focused and structured way. Over a half of my clients say that they have never experienced anything like this before and even though they found some parts of the work confrunting they felt that they got more out of the session than they expected and that they always felt supported.
Who this service is not for?
We do not work with people who suffer severe personality disorders; presentations that require complex multidisciplinary approach; and with clients who have significant cognitive impairment which can prevent them from working and integrating complex psychological material.
And to conclude:
We want to make sure that we are the right service for you, and that it why we speak on the phone with all of the new clients who contact us.
