Therapists are like detectives. We gather information and look for clues as to what is causing the distress. Each clue and piece of information is like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Once we have put the puzzle together to see what all the issues are that are causing the distress then we help you find solutions. We love finding solutions to complex problems!
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Amy Hill, MA LPC
Counseling is a personalized process that can help you navigate life’s challenges, improve mental health, and achieve personal growth. The experience can vary widely depending on the type of therapy, the issues being addressed, and the individual’s personal needs and preferences. Typically therapy flows through 5 different stages.
STAGE 1: Building Alliance and Goal Setting Stage
This stage encompasses the first few sessions. Your therapist will be gathering a lot of information about your history, symptoms, and what you have previously tried to help mitigate your symptoms. Your therapist may do formal or informal assessments with you to
establish a baseline to monitor for improvement and assist in diagnosis and treatment planning. In this beginning stage, we are also working to develop a good rapport with our client and help the client gain confidence in the therapeutic process.
Stage 2: Exploration and Insight
In this stage, the therapist is working to assist the client in exploring and gaining insight into their thoughts and underlying patterns or beliefs, gaining greater awareness, understanding, and expression of their underlying emotions and behavior choices, and assisting the client in understanding, containing and managing self-destructive impulses or behaviors. This exploration helps both the client and the therapist have a better understanding of the client’s current life difficulties.
Stage 3: Working Through
This stage involves using therapeutic techniques, interventions, and strategies to facilitate behavior change, emotional processing and facilitate problem-solving.
Stage 4: Resolution and Integration
In this stage, the therapist assists the client in maintaining positive changes, increased self-awareness, and improved coping skills and applying those new skills to new situations.
Stage 5: Termination and Closure
In this stage, the therapist reviews the client’s progress with the client and together they discuss the termination of the treatment process including developing relapse prevention strategies and exploring and developing resources for continued support outside of therapy. The Termination and Closure stage may be one session or last several weeks to months. Some clients may feel that they have finished the work they came into counseling for and are ready to discontinue sessions while other clients may feel that they want to step down gradually, moving from weekly sessions to sessions every other week and then to sessions once a month.
It is not uncommon to move back and forth through these stages as different issues come to light or if you experience a new stressor during the course of therapy. Periodically, your therapist may repeat the assessments or do a new assessment to check for improvement or changes in your symptoms.
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