Recover

Finding a Good Counselor/Therapist 

A successful treatment program starts with finding a counselor/therapist you can trust and with whom you can feel comfortable. Ask friends for recommendations and take the time to look up counselor bios on their websites to get a feel for one you might like. Most counselors are more than willing to allow you a quick interview over the phone so you can get a feel for them. A good counselor should work together with you in a collaborative fashion to develop an understanding of the problems and challenges you face, and to develop a treatment strategy. Most reputable therapists incorporate a number of different therapies to help you with your recovery. And if for some reason you don’t hit it off after your first few sessions, find another one.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

(CBT) is a form of treatment that is effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness. It is based on several core principles with the belief that psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking and on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior. CBT treatment usually involves efforts to change thinking patterns. People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives. It helps clients gain a better understanding of their behavior, gain a greater sense of confidence, helps them face their fears instead of avoiding them and gives them problem-solving skills to cope with difficult situations.

CBT places an emphasis on helping individuals learn to be their own therapists. Through exercises in each counseling session as well as “homework” exercises outside of the sessions, clients are helped to develop coping skills, whereby they can learn to change their own thinking, problematic emotions, and behavior. It helps the client move forward by developing more effective ways of coping with life.

Person-Centered Therapy

(PCT) diverges from the traditional model of the therapist as the expert, and instead focuses toward an empathetic approach that empowers and motivates the client in the therapeutic process. The therapy is based on the belief that every human being strives for and has the capacity to fulfill his or her own potential. Rather than viewing people as inherently flawed, with problematic behaviors and thoughts that require treatment, person-centered therapy identifies that each person has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change. At the heart of this therapeutic approach is the concept of self-actualization - where a counselor helps the client gain self-understanding for altering their basic attitudes, and self-directed behavior.

The person-centered therapist learns to recognize and trust the potential in each client, providing them with empathy and unconditional positive regard to help facilitate change. The therapist avoids directing the course of therapy by following the client’s lead whenever possible. Instead, the therapist offers support, guidance, and structure so that the client can discover personalized solutions within themselves.

Internal Family Systems Therapy

(IFS) is an approach to psychotherapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts. The sub-personalities are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self, a concept that describes the confident, compassionate, whole person that is at the core of every individual. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.

IFS therapy is used to treat individuals, couples, and families. It is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to be effective for treating a variety of conditions and their symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, phobias, panic, and physical health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, as well as improving general functioning and well-being.