Psychotherapy for Adults

One of the reasons leading people into psychotherapy rooms is the discrepancy between wanting and doing; people dwell on daily bases with aspects they would like to change about themselves, but have difficulty with bringing that change about.
Psychotherapy can be described as a range of techniques and strategies used to tackle a specific or general problem; it is a process where client and therapist have explicit roles to play, both actively working towards the same goals.
Whereas family and friends can provide good advice, support, pleasant conversation, among other things, the therapeutic relationship is a professional relationship; it exists in a specific setting, and because of that it involves distinct unspoken rules of interdependence and honesty – one of the reasons being that the therapist does not belong to other spheres of the client’s life.
Going through a psychotherapeutic process should increase awareness and the capacity for self-observation, change cognition, behaviour, open up the range of options, feelings and actions, increase well-being and quality of life, thus having an impact on family life, work and social relations and the self (of course), as well as providing clear understanding of one’s abilities and strengths. It involves exploring feelings, beliefs, thoughts and relevant events in a precise, honest, and structured way with a trained professional to help do it safely.
And it is a hard, rebuilding process.
There’s no sense in listing symptoms or disorders to see if you connect with any – seeing yourself in a diagnosis will not bring that change about, but the part of you already looking for improvement will.

Psychotherapy for Adolescents

Similar to any other kind of therapy or treatment, the earlier it starts, the better.
The relationship between a psychotherapist and a adolescent is quite unique.
Unlike other adults, the psychotherapist has a privileged position that does not demand much of the teenager (in terms of the daily responsibilities and struggles in his/her life) but offers a different set of eyes, a moment for self-understanding and empathy, where the adolescent has room to let some light and understanding come into impulses, fears, doubts, confused thoughts and unclear or repressed emotions; with that, the risk for substance abuse or self-harm behaviours generally decreases, the teenager’s relationships with peers and adults become less conflictual and more sincere, the ability to focus on school work increases, self-image becomes more positive and self esteem improves.
How do you know if your child could specially benefit from Psychotherapy or Counselling? Well, sometimes school shows the first flag, due to behaviour and compliance issues, attention or learning difficulties. Other times, the parents themselves believe that something is not right in terms of development and interpersonal relationships, or they notice too many fears, too much rage or anger, too much anxiety, too many nightmares, too many rigid behaviours, too many outbursts.