Psychotherapy is a great tool that benefits many people. Patients, according to the American Psychiatric Association, usually see their therapist once a week for around 45 to 50 minutes a session. When they are doing this, there are four stages that they are looking to achieve. Let’s take a closer look at them.
1. Orientation
This is the start of your mental health counseling sessions. You and your therapist will be feeling each other out. You’ll decide if you feel that they are a good fit for you. Are they attentive? Do they take what you say seriously or do they seem dismissive? Do you feel like you have a good rapport or are there long periods of silence? Then it will be up to you to see if you move to the next stage.
2. Identification
You’ve decided that you do connect well with your therapist. Now you’re going to move ahead to the next stage. Here’s where you’re going to be opening up more about what you’re going through. You might have your guard up, but this is the time to start lowering it. This will help you hone in on what you need to focus on.
3. Exploration
Here is the stage of your mental health counseling where you dig in deeper and start confronting the issues that are holding you back. This might make you feel worse at first since you’re revisiting some possibly bad memories. Your therapist will be there to help you regain power over those memories and learn how to push forward.
4. Resolution
Now that you have made real progress in your mental health journey, you might feel ready to tackle things on your own. That’s perfectly fine. This could be a perfect time for you and your therapist to part ways. You’re able to recognize things about yourself and adjust to them. You could always reconnect later if you find yourself having problems again.
You could complete these stages in a short amount of time or it could take months or years to get to the resolution part. Every person has their own timetable. Are you looking to find some mental health counseling? We will gladly help you find a qualified therapist to guide you on your mental journey. Contact Strength for Change today!
