When people think of therapy for mental health, they typically picture an individual psychotherapy session. This type of therapy involves one-on-one sessions between a patient and a licensed psychotherapist. It gives people a space to explore underlying issues that can result in mental health issues, talk about and accept their feelings, and provide a healthy outlet to learn helpful coping skills. Individualized therapy can help to improve a person’s chances of healing and managing symptoms of mental health issues, so it’s a well-utilized tool when it comes to mental health treatment planning. But, what can one expect from individual psychotherapy, who is it for, and what are the benefits?

What Can You Expect From Individual Psychotherapy?

There are a few things you can expect from individual psychotherapy sessions. Often, people have preconceived notions about therapy and may feel like they don’t need therapy sessions in order to get the most from treatment. So, it can be helpful to understand what to expect so that you get the most out of your sessions and aren’t too overwhelmed with the process.

In the first few sessions, you can expect that your therapist will ask you questions to get to know more about what you’re dealing with and understand your needs. This information gathering can help them understand the topics you will most likely gain from touching on during sessions. These questions can include things like what mental health symptoms you’re experiencing, how long you’ve been experiencing symptoms, your mental health history, and other medical information. Additionally, it can be helpful to utilize the first session to understand whether or not your therapist is a good fit for your needs.

After the information-gathering process is complete, you can expect individualized psychotherapy sessions to revolve around speaking about the things you’re experiencing or have already experienced as far as mental health issues. This can include your emotions, the consequences of living with mental health issues, your goals for treatment, and more. Your psychotherapist may guide your conversation, but what you say and discuss is completely up to you and your comfort level.
One thing that you can be sure to expect throughout your time with individual psychotherapy is confidentiality. Psychologists have a strict code of confidentiality which means that they cannot discuss their clients or what is said during therapy sessions with anyone else. This means that what you say in therapy is never repeated – so you can take comfort in the fact that what happens in therapy stays in therapy. Thus, allowing you an environment of safety and a secure outlet to talk about any of your concerns.

Who is Psychotherapy For?

Psychotherapy can be helpful for a multitude of people. And, can be useful in the case of dealing with symptoms of many different mental health issues. Individualized psychotherapy can help people who are diagnosed with:

• anxiety disorders
• depressive disorders
• PTSD
• OCD
• Eating disorders
• Substance Use Disorders
• Sleep disorders
• Bipolar disorders
• and more

What are the Benefits of Individual Psychotherapy?

There are a number of benefits to using individual psychotherapy during mental health treatment planning. Some of the benefits you can expect to take advantage of can include:

• being able to more effectively share how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking about with others
• identifying and practicing coping skills that work for you
• being able to recognize behaviors and thought patterns that are self-damaging
• learning about and placing setting healthy boundaries for relationships
• being more self-aware and building self-confidence
• having a healthy place to be held responsible for mental health goals, behaviors, and thoughts