To learn about ourselves usually requires the help of someone else.
In psychotherapy, we work in an open-ended and exploratory way to understand the root cause of your feelings, as well as the parts of yourself that are unknown.
This process involves listening closely to you, whilst also paying attention to what is being unconsciously communicated by you, and what happens in the therapeutic relationship. Through this process, we can uncover the ways that your history and childhood experiences continue to influence your thoughts, feelings and behaviours in the present.
And as you become more aware of these patterns and understand them, you can learn to change them and live life more freely, with less anxiety and emotional distress.
Alongside helping you to address psychological and emotional challenges, psychotherapy can help you to find more clarity and acceptance.
What’s psychotherapy like?
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is unstructured, so I don’t direct you and generally leave space for you to say whatever is on your mind. This might be a thought you’ve had between sessions, a dream, an event that’s taken place, or something that’s concerning you. Throughout the sessions, we aim to explore and understand what has come up for you in a safe and contained way.
Who is psychotherapy for?
Psychotherapy can be effective for people experiencing a wide range of difficulties.
Sometimes people come to therapy for help with specific issues, such as anxiety, obsessive behaviours, phobias, sexual dysfunction, panic attacks, addiction, work performance, trauma or relationship troubles.
Alternatively, some will have more general challenges that they’d like to explore, such as depression, low self-worth, confidence issues, lacking in purpose or identity, anger issues or feelings of emptiness.
In addition, people often come to psychotherapy after having had short-term counselling or CBT, which has left them with lots of unanswered questions about themselves that they’d like to explore further.
How long does psychotherapy take?
Psychotherapy can bring about real, long-lasting positive change in your life, wellbeing and relationships. But it does take time, commitment and money. Therefore, it’s best to think about therapy as an investment in yourself and your future.
Whilst I can’t give a specific time that therapy takes to work, it is a long-term treatment. Short-term treatments usually bring about short-term change, whereas long-term treatments, like psychotherapy, aim to support you long after the work has finished.
Interested in starting therapy?
Contact me via email:
josephbaileypsychotherapy@gmail.com
Or fill out an enquiry form on the contact page
Joseph Bailey Psychotherapy 