Consultations
Every now and then in life, one might need someone to talk to and get support from. Sometimes the people around us are enough, but sometimes more support is needed. Perhaps one has a problem that is difficult to understand or is carrying feelings that become difficult to bear alone. Perhaps a change in life has led to a crisis, or a loved one has been affected by ill health/disease. These are some examples of when one can seek help from a psychologist for supportive consultations. A psychologist has a broad knowledge of human behavior and can provide tools for management and change.
The number of supportive consultations we set up is based on your wishes and needs.
Psychotherapy
A longer psychotherapy contact usually begins with some assessment conversations where you get to describe what you need help with. Together, we map out problem areas, the origin and what maintains the problems. We make a plan for what we should focus on in the treatment contact. Patterns you have here and now, relationships in the present, problematic thoughts, feelings and physical reactions but also your upbringing conditions or previous difficult events in life can be the focus in the treatment.
I have an eclectic approach so content and layout are adjusted according to your individual needs and wishes. The therapy might include homework between sessions.
You will gain an increased understanding of yourself, your feelings and needs. You will learn to listen more to the body's signals and better interpret them. You will learn different tools to change behaviors in areas that do not work for you and find a more long-term sustainable direction in life that benefits health and well-being for you.
About the CBT/ACT method
We humans have a lot of strategies to handle difficult emotions and situations. In CBT, we map out which of these are helpful and which are not so helpful for us. We are often driven by avoiding discomfort in the moment because we believe it is good for us. In CBT, we gain insight into problematic behaviors/avoidance and learn to understand thoughts, feelings and to change behaviors with a focus on what is instead more long-term sustainable for us.
ACT involves a more philosophical approach focusing on what is meaningful and important to us and how we want to be as human beings. We try to approach what causes us suffering with an accepting attitude, so we don't have to "fight" it to such a great extent. Based on the actual conditions that prevail (mental, physical, social, economic etc.), we practice directing our attention and taking steps towards what makes us feel better and what enables us to live the life we desire.
The length of CBT/ACT treatment varies depending on the focus area and degree of difficulty.