Individual therapy is a chance for you to work one-on-one with a licensed professional to delve into and address current struggles in your life, and to learn strategies for coping with these struggles in a healthy way. You typically will meet with your individual therapist once per week for 50 minutes. In order to best meet your needs and goals, your therapist will utilize one or more treatment modalities, in which they have received training. Examples of treatment modalities utilized by our Wellness Associates include Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), and Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). These treatment modalities are further explained below.
How can I go about choosing an individual therapist?
Finding an individual therapist can feel like a daunting task. We encourage you to try to find a therapist who meets your unique needs in a way that works for you and with whom you feel safe. Achieving this will likely mean having a consultation with a therapist by phone or in person, to see if it seems like this therapist could be a good fit for you. Please search for an individual therapist below by entering key words about the issues you are struggling with currently (i.e. depression, stress, anxiety, parenting, etc.)
Search for an individual therapist at Gateway:
Please search for an individual therapist below by entering key words about the issues you are struggling with currently (i.e. depression, stress, anxiety, parenting, etc.) in the search bar below:
Here are some tips for reaching out to a therapist for a consultation:
Before You Call
Write down your questions
Be prepared to share why you (or your loved one) need therapy now
Make a list of what’s important to you (schedule, classes, budget, therapist’s gender, etc.)
During Your Call
Explain what’s happening to make you feel the need for therapy
State your needs and wants
You don't need to divulge your life story or all your traumas -- stay general until you build a relationship
Ask questions about fees, approaches, and specializations
Seek clarification
After The Call
Ask yourself:
Did I feel heard?
Did I feel safe?
Were my questions answered?
Do I feel comfortable going forward?
If you answer "yes" to these questions, you are probably ready to schedule your first appointment with your therapist. If you answer "no" to some or all of these questions, it might be time to have a consultation with another individual therapist. Try not to get discouraged -- sometimes finding the therapist who is the best fit for you can take a few tries! If you are interested in learning more about the individual therapists at Gateway Wellness Associates, click here.
Common Models or Formats for Individual Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Do you ever feel as though there is a battle waging between your emotions and your rational mind? Does your heart tend to win over your head? Do you find yourself impulsively reacting rather than reasonably responding to stress? Do you feel EVERYTHING?
DBT, an evidence based treatment, was first developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan at the University of Washington (Read her powerful personal story here). DBT provides a specific set of skills designed to help participants become more mindful, improve their ability to handle stress and difficult emotions, and create or maintain healthy relationships.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT also is a scientifically tested, evidenced-based therapy, developed by Dr. Aaron Beck at the University of Pennsylvania. The premise of CBT is that how we think about a situation influences how we feel which, in turn, influences how we behave. The behaviors then reinforce our thoughts and belief systems, and around and around we go.
When people are in distress, their perspective is often distorted and their thoughts may be unrealistic. Cognitive Behavior Therapy helps people identify their distressing thoughts and evaluate how realistic those thoughts are. Then they learn to change their distorted thinking. When they think more realistically, they feel better. Simultaneously, the focus is on solving problems and initiating behavioral change.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
PE is a scientifically-based and highly effective treatment for chronic PTSD and related depression, anxiety, and anger, developed by Edna Foa, PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. It is based on cognitive-behavioral principals, and is a flexible therapy that can be modified to fit the needs of individual clients.
PE is designed to help clients process traumatic events and reduce trauma-induced psychological disturbances. PE helps you experience your emotions and move through them more quickly, rather getting stuck in them and having them control your behavior and thoughts.
Numerous well-controlled studies have shown that PE significantly reduces the symptoms of PTSD, depression, anger, and anxiety in trauma survivors. PE also instills confidence, improves various aspects of daily functioning, increases client's ability to cope with courage rather than fearfulness when facing stress, and improves their ability to discriminate safe and unsafe situations.