About psychotherapy

What is psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is a conversation between a therapist and a person or a group of persons. The conversation is aimed at relieving suffering, a better understanding of problems and finding solutions.

The psychotherapist is a professional (e.g. a doctor or a psychologist) trained in one or more approaches to psychotherapy (e.g. family therapy or group therapy).

When is psychotherapy recommended?

Psychotherapy offers help in various types of problems, including:

• anxiety
• depression
• phobias (e.g. when a person is afraid to leave the house)
• panic attacks
• compulsive actions (e.g. repeated hand-washing)
• loss and bereavement (due to the severe illness or death of a family member)
• separation and divorce
• having to make a difficult decision
• physical symptoms like headaches or fatigue, when these are connected to psychological stress
• poor self-image
• persistent feelings of shame and guilt
• self-harm.

Stress in the family may not always be obvious. Here are some of the warning signs:

• persistent feelings of dissatisfaction with marriage or family life
• difficulty communicating
• sexual problems
• jealousy
• infidelity
• unmanageable anger, hostility or violence
• indisposition
• feelings of failure
• dependence on alcohol, tranquilizers or sleeping aids
• difficult behaviour of a child

Problems presented by children and adolescents include:

• fearfulness
• tics
• bed-wetting
• learning difficulties
• difficult behaviour at school
• bullying
• school refusal
• eating problems
• problems associated with adoption
• recurrent abdominal pain with no obvious organic cause
• performance anxiety
• hyperactivity
• excessive use of internet or TV watching
• tough adolescents

The above list is not exhaustive. Your family doctor can also advise you on the necessity to consult a psychotherapist.

Some people contact our centre not so much because of the problems they experience, but rather because they wish to learn more about themselves, acquire new skills and enhance their relationships.

The psychotherapist conducts the conversation in a way that will help you to

• voice your problems and share your experience with a sympathetic listener
• look at disturbing problems from a different angle
• understand the root causes of a problem
• cope with painful feelings
• think about alternative ways of handling the problem
• learn new skills
• approach difficult situations in a different, more useful way
• learn to resolve problems together with your partner, family members or colleagues

Psychotherapy offers support while the new ideas and skills acquired during therapy are applied to everyday life.