Ann Arbor therapist offers counseling, helping clients achieve satisfying life.
Effective Psychotherapy

Counseling for Individuals and Couples

Tag: psychotherapy

Side Effects of Psychotherapy

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I am a therapist and I believe in the power of therapy to alleviate suffering and contribute to people’s quality of life. I have seen it happen many times. In this post I would like to discuss some of the potential risks and  side effects that are not widely discussed.

  1. Dependence: Some clients start to depend on their therapist for every decision they need to make. A related issue is when the client effectively channels the therapist in his everyday interactions with friends and family. When the client overly identifies with the therapist it can lead to awkward social interactions and impedes the quest of the clients in finding their own voice. It is up to the therapist to point out excessive dependence, to explore its meaning and to prevent it.
  1. Reliance on the connection with the therapist as a sole resource to meet emotional needs, instead of expanding a support network. Therapy should help a person improve their social skills, expand their social network and not serve as a substitute.
  2. Not knowing when to terminate therapy: I have heard countless stories about patients wanting to stop therapy, and well-intended therapists have convinced them to stay. My policy is clear. I greatly respect the clients’ wishes to terminate therapy. There are times at which I initiate the discussion on stopping therapy. Similar to the role of a parent, there often comes a point that the client needs to be gently pushed out to stand on their own two feet.
  3. Expense. – This is probably the most recognized issue. .The money that you pay towards therapy, may prevent you from pursuing other activities that could improve your quality of life, and contribute to your growth as a person.
  4. Time – the time and energy you invest in therapy, could have been spent with loved ones, on meaningful activities that could contribute to your quality of life. No, I do not recommend avoiding psychotherapy, if you could benefit from it. I work as psychotherapist because I believe therapy can change people’s life. I had the privilege to witness people’s growth.  There is a large body of empirical evidence that supports the benefits of therapy,  above and beyond what medication alone can offer.

However:

It is OK to gauge whether there is a fit between you and your provider.

It is OK to check from time to time with your provider about the approach, directions, goals and the need for continuation.

It is OK to weigh the benefits of psychotherapy against the cost – what does it prevent you from doing because of the investment in both time and money.

It is OK to see your provider on less than a weekly basis, or as needed – provided it works for both of you.

My policy on terminating therapy is that if a client decides to quit therapy, I do not try to dissuade them unless there is a clear indication of danger.

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Cognitive Distortions of Depression

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Depression contributes, and is maintained by common distorted thought patterns. It is a vicious circle, which keep us depressed.

This checklist is taken from the Wikipedia, “Feeling Good” book  and other sources, with some changes and additions. As you go through this list try to  identify these patterns that you tend to use. It may be an  eye opener: You will realize that what sounded like “the reality”,  is indeed very subjective. This is the first step to start controlling those thought patterns, and influence your mood. You may want to keep track of these thought patterns in a journal. There is some overlap between the different thought distortions.

  1. Black and white thinking – No shades of grey. Thinking of things in absolute terms, like “always”, “every”, “never”.     If it is not perfect, it is a failure.
  2. Overgeneralization – Taking isolated cases and using them to make wide generalizations. Generalization from one detail , or aspect of a situation, to the whole situation.
  3. Mental filter – Focusing almost exclusively on  negative or upsetting aspects of an event while ignoring other positive aspects.
  4. Disqualifying the positive – Continually deemphasizing  positive experiences.
  5. Jumping to conclusions – Drawing negative conclusions  from little  evidence. Two specific subtypes:
    • Mind reading – Assuming you can read the feelings and thoughts of others. You know for sure what other people think of you, and of course is it negative.
    • Future reading –  Catastrophizing.  You expect the worst possible outcome, however unlikely. You ruminate about “What if”.
  6. Magnification and minimization – Distorting aspects of a memory or situation through magnifying or minimizing them such that they no longer correspond to objective reality.  If you are depressed, often the positive characteristics of other people are exaggerated and negative characteristics are understated. The reverse  happens when you think about yourself.
  7. Emotional reasoning – Accept your emotions as a valid evidence.  “I feel therfore it is true”. If you feel stupid , than you are  stupid.
  8. Should statements – You know the way things “should” be.  You have rigid rules which  always apply, no matter what the circumstances are. Using “should” statement  leaves you and others feeling preasured, guilty, and on the long run  jeopardizes any motivation for change. It does not allow you to be flexible and adapt to  changing circumstances.
  9. Labeling –  Rather than describing  a  specific behavior, you assign a negative  label to yourself.  it is not the action that was a mistake, you are the mistake. Frequntly, you judge others as harshly as you judge yourself.
  10. Personalization – Attribution of personal responsibility and guilt to yourself   for events over which you have no control.
  11. False expectations: Assuming that other people should be able to read your mind, without any need of your part to express your emotions and needs.  Assuming that your happiness depends on somebody else.

© Wikipedia
A depressed person

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Social Anxiety

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Managing Social Anxiety By Debra Hope

Social anxiety can reduce you quality of life, not let you achieve your full potential, and ultimately lead to depression. What results is a vicious cycle – the more anxious you are, the more barriers you will encounter in your life, the more depressed you become, which ultimately contribute to your anxiety. I recommend this self-help book. It is part of a series published by Oxford University Press. All the books adhere to cognitive-behavioral approach. They come in pairs – one for the client, one for the therapists. All those I have seen so far, were excellent. If you read this book, and work along its guideline, you may not even need to see me. And if you do, it will shorten the treatment and make my work easier.

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Positive Psychology

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A different approach to mental health. Historically, psychology and psychiatry developed though trying to understand – and correct – pathology. Prof. Zeligman, one of the prominent psychologists today, recommends using our strengths. According to him our mental health consists not in overcoming our weaknesses but recognizing and using our strengths. It give a fresh look at the ancient saying “know thyself”. The site contains articles, videos, and self tests. The self tests are particularly helpful. We are so used to think in terms of our faults, that we forget to look at our strengths and use them more.

Positive Psychology Website

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