How does psychotherapy work?
Psychotherapy does not refer to a simple discussion that you may have in your everyday life with those in your personal surroundings. It is a discussion that is directed with goals which are identified with the client (aka you!). It is a sort of partnership with the therapist in trying to resolve your issues; it is NOT a one-sided setting that excludes your perspectives and concerns.
Through psychotherapy sessions, you can discover and change patterns of thought, feelings and/or actions, which create or maintain the problems you are experiencing.
Successful psychotherapy starts with a good relationship between the therapist and yourself. A good psychotherapist listens carefully and gains an accurate understanding of your thoughts, feelings and experience, accepts you for who you are, and supports you.
When you have developed trust and confidence in your therapist, you can start working with him/her to bring about change. The psychotherapy process sometimes focuses on changing your behavior, sometimes on your thoughts and ideas, and sometimes pays more attention to your emotions. Most forms of psychotherapy probably touch on all these, although their emphasis may be different. This process takes time to develop and it takes time to take effect.
In the process, you can learn new ways to think about your situation and yourself. You can understand and deal with your emotions better. You could master new skills or strategies to deal with challenges and difficulties in your life. Many people feel better about themselves as a result of psychotherapy, and many develop a clearer sense of direction in their lives.
Psychotherapists have different styles. A sensitive therapist should adjust the style and method to your needs. Some therapists may give direct instructions and even homework assignments, while some would prefer a different approach and let you reflect on your own issues, and then provide feedback to help you make better sense of your own experience. In either case, the therapist and the client work together to achieve a shared understanding of the goals at hand.
Other forms of psychotherapy utilize a wide range of media including arts, music, body movement, play, drama, dance, photography, films, creative writing, etc. Moreover, with modern technology, psychotherapy is actually being conducted online as well via cyber counseling or even via video chatting (ex: Skype, etc). The use of modern technology is helping modernize these services to better fit into clients’ busy schedules.