Individual Psychotherapy - adults & adolescents.

Individual therapy can be anything from a safe supportive environment where emotions can be expressed through to a life changing, and at times a life-saving, experience. Where individuals are stuck in painful, traumatic or self-destructive patterns, psychotherapy can be invaluable as a process through which the underlying drivers can be brought to light and worked through.

Individual psychotherapy is a form of treatment where a person works one-on-one with a trained psychotherapist to explore their emotions, thoughts, and behaviours in the context of a therapeutic relationship. This can range from mild emotional conflicts to more severe issues. Techniques involved in this type of therapy may include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), humanistic approaches, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), psychoanalytic psychotherapy and more. As an experienced psychotherapist I am familiar with several models of therapy, however I work mostly from a systemic perspective, while also drawing on narrative and attachment focussed work.

Individual psychotherapy offers a relationship in which the client or patient learns to have a relationship with their thoughts and feelings and to understand why they behave in specific ways. The benefits of individual psychotherapy range from improved coping skills and better self-awareness in the short-term to emotional regulation and improvements in self confidence and a sense of agency over one's life.

Some issues which bring people to psychotherapy include stress and anxiety, challenging relationships with food or alcohol, worry caused by workplace or relationship issues, childhood abuse or trauma and feelings of unhappiness or a lack of fullfilment in life. 

Distress can be uncomfortable and perhaps distressing for anyone experiencing it. For adolescents however, it can be particularly difficult. They are experiencing huge change in their lives, the greatest amount of change since they were babies in fact, and any 'external' difficulties such as relationship or issues can feel like the last straw. This can sometimes lead to adolescents engaging in 'risky' behaviours such as recreational drug use, or deliberate self-harm. For adolescents, a falling out with a friend may feel disastrous rather than upsetting. Nobody likes to feel rejected, however for adolescents it can sometimes feel like life is not worth living. Their feelings in the moment can be experienced an permanent and unchangeable.

Experience tells us that nothing in life is permanent however. The good times, and the bad times, all pass because life is ever changing. No matter how difficult it becomes, life continues to change. 

These are lessons that we learn with maturity, however for all of us, we can reach a point of feeling overwhelmed. This is especially so if life has been hard. Therapy can be useful at times like this. Speaking to someone who is a health professional and not otherwise connected to us can be useful. It can help us to gain a sense of sense of perspective, to see that we are not alone, and that, regardless of our age, we do not have to navigate this crisis alone.

Crisis in life are usually not pleasant, but they can sometimes bring us to a place of growth and a greater sense of fulfilment in life.