What is psychotherapy?

 

PSYCHOTHERAPY is a confidential therapeutic process that is used to treat anything from basic problem-solving difficulties, various levels of emotional distress, to more pervasive psychological disorders.

 

Most of us have a support system that helps us maintain a healthy state of functioning even during difficult times. Occasionally, increased stressors in life can trigger increased distress and overtax our usual support systems. When our coping levels decrease our ability to function well and reduce our usual resiliency, the complications that emerge in all aspects of life can be devastating.

 

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary, psychotherapy is:

...the treatment of emotional, behavioral, personality, and psychiatric disorders based primarily on verbal or nonverbal communication and interventions with the patient, in contrast to treatments using chemical and physical measures.

 

Psychotherapy works to reduce psychological distress through talk therapy, though therapists often work in conjunction with medical professionals to increase efficacy.

 

The goal of psychotherapy is always to increase a sense of well-being for individuals, family systems, couples, and children. Most therapists use techniques that explore thoughts, feelings and behaviors often on a deeper level of insight. Some professionals adhere to specific treatment models. Others take a more eclectic approach. But statistics have proven that the strongest indicator of client success depends on the strength of the relationship between client and therapist.