Robin Barre Psychotherapy Services Serving Mukilteo, Everett, and the North Puget Sound
Is This the Right Therapy For Me?
There are many ways to engage in the healing work of therapy.
Sometimes you just need a "tune up" and would like to come in for a few sessions to decide how to proceed in a certain situation. Sometimes there is a crisis or a loss that you need to work through so that you feel confident and able to move forward with your life in the face of these painful realities. Sometimes you don't know why you feel like you do and want to find out what's going on.
It is an honor and a privilege to sit with people as we unpack and process life circumstances. So much of the work is discerning which tools are most appropriate for the road you are on and the roads you will encounter in the days to come. With attunement and compassion, and as you acquire the tools you need, you may need to come in for just a few sessions here and there, or perhaps weekly or bi-weekly sessions for some months or a year or two, and then you're ready to move on.
When There is Trauma
There are other times, especially when there has been trauma, when the work will take a vastly different approach to assure that wounded or frightened parts do not feel threatened, pressured, or hurried to move on. Working with PTSD, complex trauma, or early childhood attachment wounds requires patience and a great deal of compassion.
Sometimes the first order of business is developing self-compassion. This work can be less linear and can take much more time to sort out. But it's good work. When you have experienced trauma, I believe that it is the most vital work you can do.
Sometimes one of the first things we need to do is to focus on what therapy is, how does one "do therapy," and to assess your level of trust in the therapeutic process before the deeper work begins. All of these things are, in and of themselves, therapeutic. Even if you don't trust the process!
In our beginning sessions we will thoroughly assess what your needs are, what directions you'd like to go, and how deep you want to go into your own mysterious psyche. We will discuss how often you are able to meet and how that fits with the recommended treatment plan. We will work together to decide what the best plan of action is, given what we know of each other.
It is important for you to know that the therapy is effective if you are coming in for therapy at least once every two weeks. Anything less than this is not considered therapeutic by most treatment standards.
Things to Consider About Your Therapy
As you consider beginning therapy, these are questions to reflect upon:
What is your most pressing issue right now?
What other issues do you feel may be affecting your daily functioning?
Do your finances and your schedule allow you to come into therapy once a week or every two weeks on a regular basis?
What is your level of self-compassion?
What is your level of commitment to your therapeutic work?
What is your level of trust in the therapeutic process?