Psychotherapy is not 'psycho' (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Psychotherapy is not 'psycho'

5:01pm Wednesday 4th February 2009

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For many people in this country, the word “psychotherapy” is a word steeped with negative connotations; possibly because it starts with the word ‘psycho’ and suggests that there may be something seriously wrong with you if you undergo psychotherapy.

However, psychotherapy can be an extremely healthy and positive activity. So, for the nervous or the intrigued amongst you, here is a brief description of what happens during a psychotherapy session.

Usually, a psychotherapy session is scheduled once a week and lasts for about fifty minutes. Everything said during these sessions is confidential. The client and therapist normally sit in regular, everyday chairs – the therapist’s couch generally used in films or TV shows is really a thing of the past.

As a therapist, I see my role as being to help my clients to gain greater self-awareness. This may be as a means of dealing with a deep seated problem or simply to gain greater focus in everyday life.

There are numerous different approaches to psychotherapy (at last count, there were over four hundred officially recognised forms) but no matter what approach you choose, the ultimate aim is to help you to develop a clearer sense of how your thoughts, feelings and behaviour define your experience.

By undertaking this process, you can create greater opportunity for self-empowerment.