Our counselors provide therapy in Greensboro, NC

: My go-to approach for helping people in individual therapy is dialectical behavior therapy. I prefer dialectical behavior therapy because it empowers the individual to understand their feelings and accept their feelings, even if the feeling is uncomfortable. Dialectical behavior therapy also helps the individual understand how to communicate their feelings to others and cope with their discomfort in a healthy and helpful way.

Stewart: My go-to approach for helping people in individual therapy is eclectic. I find the best benefit in eclectic psychotherapy because uses more than one theoretical approach, or multiple sets of techniques, to help with clients' needs. The use of multiple sets of techniques is to help a clinician increase the effectiveness in resolving the patient's problems, rather than the theory behind each therapy.

Emma: My go-to approach for helping people in individual therapy is always to provide a non-judgmental space to be able to explore issues that affect a person's life. I find the best benefit in this method is helping people feel safe enough to share things that hadn't been possible in their lives.

: I teach the following tools in individual therapy:

• Mindfulness: Being in the present moment, most importantly without judgment of yourself, others, or the situation
• Emotional regulation: Identifying and naming differing severity levels of emotion
• Distress tolerance: Learning how to cope with painful events and experiences in healthy and helpful ways
• Interpersonal effectiveness: Developing the skills needed to communicate boundaries and set expectations within an individual’s relationships
• Cognitive reframing: Identifying the thought contributing to an unpleasant emotion, determining the accuracy of the thought, and changing the thought if necessary to one that fits the evidence

Stewart: I teach the following tools in individual therapy: psycho-education because it helps educate the client of certain mental health-related topics; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) because it helps to encourage cognitive reframing and restructuring in the client; Motivational Interviewing because it helps encourage the client to be ready to change and become sober from illicit substance; Exploration of Emotions or Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) techniques because it helps clients understand and communicate their emotions to their significant other; Exploration of Coping Patterns or Trauma Informed Care because it helps traumatized clients heal from past abuse or unfortunate situations, etc.; and Relaxation/Deep Breathing because it helps clients dealing with anxiety or panic attacks calm down and breath normally.

Emma: I teach the following tools in individual therapy:

• Mindfulness: Learning to pay attention, on purpose and without judgment. This is helpful in therapy, as it increases present-moment awareness and nonjudgemental acceptance of our moment-to-moment experiences, both internally and externally.
• Stress reduction skills and stress management tools: Used to recognize and assess stress and interpret it in a more positive way. Learning how to reduce your stress when it's present and before it gets unmanageable.

: I know a client is making meaningful progress in individual therapy when they can acknowledge and sit with uncomfortable emotions, both in and out of the therapy room. Learning how to identify a feeling and cope with that feeling is challenging, but being able to actively experience the feeling in the moment and without judgment is major!

Stewart: I know a client is making meaningful progress in individual therapy when: they give me positive feedback; they look healthier in future sessions; their spouse say they see significant change in behavior or life outlook; and they have better psychological assessment results (objective based).

Emma: I know when a client is making meaningful progress in individual therapy when their emotions have stabilized; goals have been met; and there is a sense of accomplishment, healing, and the ability to move forward with hope.

: Clients can supplement their time in individual therapy with reflection and self-care. The majority of progress that a person will make happens outside of the therapy room. An individual may leave a therapy session feeling intense emotion, but the real work begins when they decide what to do with that feeling. Many clients report activities such as journaling, meditation, spending time with loved ones, or doing something to make themselves feel good can be essential to therapy being effective.

Stewart: Clients can supplement their time in individual therapy with: attending support groups, such as A.A.; reading books or articles related to psycho-education; complete worksheets related to mental health; check their client portal on a regular basis for important forms or announcements; visit a PCP for a medical evaluation; and go to a specialist for a referral.

Emma: Clients can supplement their time in individual therapy by seeking more information, practicing learned coping skills, journaling, and continued introspection. Oftentimes, worksheets can often further one's understanding of self. Clients can practice self-care and self-acceptance. Clients can also join groups to continue to explore issues and gain support from people experiencing similar issues.

: To prepare for your first individual therapy session, you can identify some basic goals. Jot down a few ideas of what you would like to accomplish through your time in therapy. I also find it helpful to tell the important people in your life you are taking this step. It may help ease some of the anxiety and it may be surprising to learn who in your social support network has been to therapy themselves! Most importantly, come into your first therapy session with an open mind.

Stewart: To prepare for your first individual therapy session, you can: ensure that you have health insurance that covers mental health visits; complete all the informed consent forms located on client portal; make sure you feel healthy the day you visit; have a social support system to help you throughout your journey in counseling; and make sure you have a debit or credit card on file.

Emma: To prepare for your first individual therapy session, it would be helpful to clarify what you would like to work on. Or, if that is difficult, to be ready to explore what that would be. Please note, it's very important to be able to build a relationship of trust with your therapist and feel comfortable with them in order to be able to share your thoughts and experiences.