Personal growth

Personal growth in psychotherapy or psychiatric treatment can look somewhat different for different people. In my experience, though, there are some common elements that often emerge and guide that activity. Here are a few of the most important:

• We might develop a mutual understanding and agreement about our purposes in coming together for our work.

• We might cultivate an openness to, and curiosity about, all kinds of experiences: behaviors, thoughts, emotions, dreams, interactions, and problems you encounter in your life. Together, with time and curiosity, we might discover unrecognized, sometimes deeply personal, impediments that prevent you from reaching fulfillments in your personal and work life.

• You might gradually develop deeper trust and investment in our therapeutic relationship. This is a slow process that requires some degree of uncertainty or risk in emotional vulnerability, particularly for the person seeking help. Though this process can be difficult at times, your personal investment in our work together offers the best hope for building and sustaining an emotionally secure relationship, and helping you grow beyond the obstacles impeding you. All of our work is strictly confidential.

These elements tend to emerge and develop more readily with repeated, consistent meetings, and a certain kind of receptivity on the part of the clinician. Because of this, they tend to be associated more often with psychotherapy than with psychiatry practices that focus primarily on medications, and more often with therapies involving multiple meetings each week.

Making space for personal growth in psychiatric treatment

In my experience, it is possible and often preferable to make space for these elements even if your own focus is primarily on medication. So, when I do prescribe medication, I bring my scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to bear; but I also work to understand and engage with you, as you are, at your place in your own unique life. I listen carefully and make room for your communications, expressions, and feedback, so that I can better accompany and help guide you in your personal growth process.