What is Individual Therapy Like and What Can I Expect? by Robyn Tamanaha, LMFT
What is it?
Individual therapy is when one person attends therapy and are the only two people in the office. This is different from couple’s therapy, which is when a couple goes to see one therapist together, or family therapy, when the whole immediate family will go together to see one therapist.
Who comes to individual therapy?
An individual can come to therapy for many different reasons or challenges. Ultimately, an individual comes to therapy because they’re experiencing a challenge that has impacted how they feel about themselves or the challenge is making it difficult to take part in a major area of their life.
What happens in the session?
During a session, the client discusses their experience with the difficulty or challenge and how it’s expressing itself. For example, an individual who has been experiencing work stress might notice that it’s expressing itself as anger towards others. An individual who is experiencing sadness might notice that they’re having a difficult time getting out of bed and completing tasks that they used to be able to easily do. Throughout therapy, the therapist introduces different strategies that could be helpful for the client to manage what they’re experiencing, and the client decides what works best for them.
How do I know when I’m ready for therapy?
If you’re noticing that you’re struggling with a difficult emotion, experience, or situation and it’s affecting a major area of your life, such as work, school, relationships, or how you take care of yourself, then therapy would be beneficial.
You don’t have to do this alone. If you are interested in receiving therapy with me, let’s schedule a free 15-minute phone consult.
(NOTE: This video was filmed when my office was at a previous location. I am now located in Irvine, CA)
My office is located in Irvine, which is near Newport Beach, Orange, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Tustin, Seal Beach, and beyond. I work with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and Asian American & Pacific Islanders.
Disclaimer: This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. The topics being discussed are meant as a self-help tool for you own use. It is not psychotherapy or counseling. This information is to be used based on your own judgment. If you need to speak with a professional, you should find one local to you and contact them directly.