Counseling With Judith Glick

Psychotherapy is a basic term for treating mental health problems. It is often called "talk therapy." Counseling is done by speaking with a mental health professional such as a licensed clinical social worker, psychiatrist or psychologist. Goals of psychotherapy are to inspire change and to improve one’s quality of life. During psychotherapy you learn about your moods, thoughts, feelings and behaviors. With psychotherapy you learn how to take back control of your life with new approaches and coping skills. Over time you gain insight into your behaviors and emotions that have contributed to your problems and learn how to change them. Psychotherapy can help you identify life's problems-major illness, death of a loved one, loss of independence, divorce, job loss-that may have contributed to mental health issues and help solve or improve your outlook. 

There are many different approaches to psychotherapy, too many to focus on in this article. A mental health professional generally draws on one or more theories depending on the patient's problems and their assessment. Psychotherapy provides direction for the mental health professional to understand their clients and develop solutions. 

To fully benefit from counseling it is best to attend all scheduled appointments. The effectiveness of therapy depends on your active participation. Therapy is not a 'quick fix." Positive results can take longer to see than taking medication but evidence shows that the effects of psychotherapy last longer. It requires time, effort and commitment. When you actively participate, recovery can be quicker and with fewer relapses. I often tell my patients that while I wish I could take their pain away quickly, my "magic wand" is not that powerful. You do have to do the work and I am there to guide you.

What should you expect in your first session with your therapist? It is a time to gather information about past physical, mental, and emotional health. It is also a time to see if working together is a good fit. It takes the next few sessions to understand the situation to determine the best course of action. Therapy most often combines ideas from different approaches. Most sessions are between 45-60 minutes. The number of sessions depends on the patient’s needs, the severity of the condition, the effect on day-to-day life, how quickly there is improvement and financial limitation.

Call Judith Glick, LCSW, 201-657-5682 for a free phone consultation.