Mariella Zanoletti-Psychotherapist and Counsellor

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a way to help people with a broad variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties. Psychotherapy can help eliminate or control troubling symptoms so a person can function better and can increase well-being and healing. Psychotherapy is a collaborative treatment based on the relationship between an individual and a psychologist. Grounded in dialogue, it provides a supportive environment that allows a person to talk openly with someone who’s objective, neutral, and nonjudgmental. The client and psychotherapist work together to identify and change the thought and behavior patterns that are keeping the client from feeling their best. It enables not only resolving the present problem, but also teaching new skills to help the client to better cope with whatever challenges arise in the future. Psychotherapy involves communication between client and therapist that is intended to help people:

People who are contemplating receiving psychotherapy experience some ambivalence about beginning the process. Seeking out therapy is a private and individual choice. There are a range of reasons why people go to therapy. It is not unusual to feel unhappy or depressed either from time to time or for a sustained period. Unexpected life events in the here and now can throw our lives into disarray or life events from the past can exert a negative influence on our health and wellbeing in the present. These unwanted thoughts, feelings and circumstances can significantly impact our ability to cope with the day to day and our mental health can be tested to the extreme; feelings of isolation, depression, hopelessness and anxiety can all be experienced.

Talking to a professional, in a safe, non judgemental environment can significantly ease emotional and psychological distress.

Speaking with a professional is not like speaking with family and friends who may often assume to know what is ‘right’ for someone. Therapists have undergone educational and clinical training and are experienced in gently accompanying clients to a place of greater self awareness and understanding. This in turn can lead to a greater sense of well-being.

Working with a therapist can help ignite personal exploration, self-awareness, insight, support, and can assist in developing adaptive strategies and skills for coping with various life challenges. Psychotherapy provides an empathic and non-judgmental environment in which one may come to know and understand themselves better.

Therapy is right for anyone who is open and willing to improve their overall quality of life by enhancing their personal development and overall relationships. Therapy allows individuals to be empowered in order to take control of their lives, effectively cope with challenges, and make positive changes. This process may at times be emotionally challenging, however ultimately the goal of therapy is to develop effective coping skills, make healthy choices, achieve personal growth and well-being, reach individual goals and develop satisfying relationships.

The number of therapy sessions varies for each client depending upon their reasons for seeking therapy, their needs and their presenting problem. Some problems and challenges can be resolved within a few sessions whereas others can take longer.

Sessions are scheduled on a weekly basis and are 60 minutes in length. Consistency in treatment is very important in allowing the client to make progress towards achieving their goals and enhancing their growth. The frequency of therapy sessions may vary based on the individual clients specific needs.

Family psychotherapy – or to give it its full title, Family and Systemic Psychotherapy – helps people in a close relationship help each other.

It enables family members, couples and others who care about each other to express and explore difficult thoughts and emotions safely, to understand each other’s experiences and views, appreciate each other’s needs, build on strengths and make useful changes in their relationships and their lives. Individuals can find Family Therapy helpful, as an opportunity to reflect on important relationships and find ways forward.

Research shows Family Therapy is useful for children, young people and adults experiencing a very wide range of difficulties and experiences. 

Family Therapy aims to be:

• Inclusive and considerate of the needs of each member of the family and/or other key relationships (systems) in people’s lives

• Recognise and build on peoples’ strengths and relational resources

• Work in partnership ‘with’ families and others, not ‘on’ them

• Sensitive to diverse family forms and relationships, beliefs and cultures

• Enable people to talk, together or individually, often about difficult or distressing issues, in ways that respect their experiences, invite engagement and support recovery.

Wherever possible, decisions about the number of sessions and the intervals between appointments are made collaboratively between the therapist and family. The number of appointments offer will depend on the service setting and family members’ needs. Most sessions last between 60 minutes and one and a half hours.

Counselling and Psychotherapy are often considered to be interchangeable therapies that overlap in a number of ways. Counselling, in specific situations, is offered as part of the psychotherapy process; whereas a counsellor may work with clients in a psychotherapeutic manner. The key difference between the two courses of therapeutic communication treatment lies in the recommended time required to see benefits.

Counselling usually refers to a brief treatment that centres around behaviour patterns. Psychotherapy focuses on working with clients for a longer-term and draws from insight into emotional problems and difficulties. In general, counseling is recommended for specific issues and situations, such as addiction or grief, and takes place over weeks to several months. Psychotherapy tends to explore past issues that might be contributing to present day problems. It often takes place continually or intermittently over a period of years.

It’s generally a longer-term treatment that focuses more on gaining insight into chronic physical and emotional problems. Its focus is on the person's thought processes, and how these may be influenced by past events such that they cause problems in the present. In other words, psychotherapy addresses the root cause and core issues of current problems so that lasting change and personal growth may occur.

Therapy may be conducted in an individual, family, couple, or group setting, and can help both children and adults. Sessions are typically held once a week for about 30 to 50. Both patient and therapist need to be actively involved in psychotherapy. The trust and relationship between a person and his/her therapist is essential to working together effectively and benefiting from psychotherapy. Psychotherapy can be short-term (a few sessions), dealing with immediate issues, or long-term (months or years), dealing with longstanding and complex issues. The goals of treatment and arrangements for how often and how long to meet are planned jointly by the patient and therapist.

The initial appointment usually includes the assessment of the client’s presenting concern, establishing therapy goals, and, if time permits, the beginning of developing a treatment plan. This appointment is also for the client to get comfortable, to see if the therapist is the right 'fit' for them, and to ask questions. No special preparation is required. The therapist will encourage them to describe your current problem, and will ask questions throughout the session.

Sitting face to face, the psychotherapist could start off by acknowledging the courage it takes to start psychotherapy. He or she may also go over logistical matters, such as fees, how to make or cancel an appointment, and confidentiality, if he or she hasn’t already done so by phone. They may then may ask a question like, “What brought you here today?” or “What made you decide to come in now rather than a month or a year ago?” The psychotherapist will also want to know about your and your family’s history of psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, or similar issues, and how the problem is affecting your everyday life. They may ask questions like whether there have been changes in sleeping habits, appetite or other behaviors. They will also want to know what kind of social support the you have, so they may ask about family, friends and coworkers.

It’s important not to rush this process, which may take more than one session. While guiding you through the process, the psychotherapist will let you set the pace when it comes to telling your story. As you gain trust in your psychotherapist and the process, you may be willing to share things you didn’t feel comfortable answering at first. Once your psychotherapist has a full history, the two of you will work together to create a treatment plan. This collaborative goal-setting is important, because both of you need to be invested in achieving your goals.

Seeing your therapist once a week is the most effective frequency in order to get the best results from counseling. Starting with meetings that are less frequent means slower progress, and backtracking in between sessions.

Attending the sessions does require consistency in order to understand things differently and for the shifts to happen.

The more consistent the client is the more beneficial therapy turned out to be.

As the client progresses with the therapist towards his/her goals, it is common to decrease the meetings every other week, or perhaps once a month.

The therapist is supposed to maintain privacy about everything said in sessions by the client. The records should be absolutely confidential.

Confidentiality is an essential part of the counselling relationship. A client must be able to trust that the personal information he/she shares with the therapist won’t ever get revealed to other people. Importantly, counsellors have their own set of professional obligations which differ slightly from those of other mental health providers.