The answers to many of the questions you might be asking yourself about psychotherapy can be found within the pages of this site. If your question has still not found an answer, please read the Q&A below. To address a specific question or if you wish to ask for a session, please go to the Contact page.
01
What is psychotherapy and how does it work?
We encourage you to read the article How can talking about my feelings help me? in the blog section.
02
How do I know if I need therapy?
Many people feel that there is something wrong with them and their life. Frequent quarrels with family and friends, pains and physical discomfort without a clear medical cause, emotional instability, lack of sleep or poor sleep quality, finding excessive refuge in food or unintentional weight loss, physical activity (or, on the contrary, laziness), withdrawal from society etc. Seeing a therapist does not mean one is crazy, that s/he has “something going wrong with one’s head” or that one is not able to solve one’s own problems. The therapist can help you understand your symptoms and manifestations and find new ways of dealing with the issues and, ultimately, of solving them. The therapist does not give advice; he guides you in such a way that you can more clearly see your problems and potential solutions.
03
How do I choose the therapist that is right for me?
There are several ways in which you can choose your therapist:
- Searching for one in the COPSI (Council of Romanian Psychologists) accredited therapists’ register, based on the city you live in (if you are based in Romania):
- Unique Registry of Psychologists – Psychologists Evidence
- Unique Registry of Psychologists – The list of approved cabinets
It is recommendable that your therapist is present on the list of accredited mental health professionals.
- Asking for recommendations from friends and family, if you feel comfortable enough discussing with them on this topic.
- Searching among individual therapists offices websites, specialized blogs, articles etc.
04
What happens during the first session with my therapist?
It is expected that, in most cases, the therapist’s office to have a waiting room; also, a therapist usually does not have a secretary or an assistant, as the therapist is the one managing the relationshop with his clients directly. During your first session…
- The therapist personally welcomes you and invites you in his office;
- Feel free to choose any seat you like, unless the therapist’s chair is clearly marked;
- Usually, it’s the patient that starts the conversation; if this proves to be difficult for you, the therapist will help, by asking you what is the reason you have asked for seeing him; The easiest way to start is for you to say what’s bothering you; do not worry if you forget some things or if you feel you tell your story in a chaotic manner; your therapist will ask supportive questions.
- You will do most of the talking, and the therapist will listen and ask questions from time to time; also, he/she will take notes in order for him to remember all the information you share and to analyze it afterwards.
- Towards the end of this first session, the therapist will tell you if /she can help you or not and, if s/he can, will propose you a therapy program structure, including the frequency of the meetings and a pricing scheme.
05
How much time do I need to stay in therapy until I start to see results?
The duration of the therapy is determined by several factors:
- The nature and depth of the issue(s) you are confronted with;
- Your availability and openness towards individual work and change;
- The specialization and the type of therapy that is being practiced by your specialist;
- The easiness you have in openining yourself up in front of the therapist;
- The frequency of the sessions;
- Generally, there are three types of therapy programs, depending on their length: short (5-20 sessions), medium (20-50 sessions) or long-term therapy (over 50 sessions).
06
When does a therapy end?
There are cases when you realize the issue you have first brought into therapy are solved, and your symptoms have gone (somatic disorders, lack of sleep / poor sleep quality, isolation, panic attacks etc.). You are encouraged to share this with your therapist and start discussing together how you will approach the end of the therapy program. There also are situations when clients wish to continue therapy by working on a different objective.
Also, in some cases, the therapist can suggest to the client either having less frequent sessions (e.g. once every two weeks instead of once a week), or even the end of the therapy, if s/he feels that either the initial problem has been solved or that the client does not seem to make progress anymore. Together, client and therapist, set the conditions under which the therapy continues or stops there.