What is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is usually defined as “The treatment of mental disorder by psychological rather than medical means.”

If you look up psychotherapy in a dictionary, you will likely find a woefully inadequate definition much like the one above. However, this stark definition does little to help one understand what psychotherapy is, or what to expect from participating in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is an art, a science and an action. The art of psychotherapy is not learned in text books or taught in schools. The ability to perform the art of psychotherapy effectively, it seems to me, is something one is born with. Like any art, it requires the practitioner to have an innate ability which is then expressed through techniques and honed with experience.

Like many psychotherapists, or counselors, if you prefer that term, it seems I have always been the person that people came to when they felt bad, faced a decision, or simply wanted to talk. I used to wonder why, but now realize that I have always been interested in people's stories; the way people think, how they feel and at the risk of sounding pretentious, their lives. The ability to put one's own agenda and experience in the background, is the key to being a good listener. It seems that has always been a part of my personality and practicing psychotherapy helps me to put that to good use.

So one thing you can expect when you see me, is that you will be heard. And that is where all good psychotherapy begins.