The time it takes to treat someone depends on their goals and how long it takes to reach them. You may choose to end treatment at any time. If I feel that treatment is no longer appropriate or needed, I may choose to end treatment at that time.

I do not prescribe medication. I do not have the qualifications to prescribe medication and it is outside of my scope of practice. Yet, it is normal to talk about all options. Medicine is an option for unrelenting symptoms that don't improve with therapy. If you're considering medication, talk to your doctor or psychiatrist. If you don't have a doctor, I can refer you to someone who can help with medication.

There are many benefits that come from participating in therapy. Therapists can help you by providing support and acting as a sounding board. Therapist assist with problem-solving and help you develop better coping strategies. They can help you handle emotions such as sadness, stress, and arguments with others.

Some of the benefits from therapy include:

gain a better understanding of yourself, goals, and values

Improve your ability to manage anger

Discover ways to cope with grief, depression, or other emotional issues

Learning skills to improve your relationships

Increase your communication effectiveness

Stress management

Find ways to navigate relationships with people who have difficult personalities

Change behavioral patterns

Advance your problem-solving skills

Improve your self-worth

At some point in life, everyone experiences difficult times. From time to time, we all need a bit of extra support. Attending therapy doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with you. Therapy is for those who are self-aware enough to know when they need to reach out for extra support. There is nothing wrong with reaching out for assistance with managing life stressors. In fact, it is adaptive to ask for help. At the end of the day, it is your choice to decide if you need therapy.

I suggest therapy first, not just treating symptoms with medication. If you only treat symptoms, they may come back when you stop taking medication. If your symptoms don't go away with medication, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor. The best treatment is taking medicine and going to therapy at the same time. When you take medication during therapy, it can help reduce symptoms. This allows you to fully participate in the sessions.

Confidentiality is crucial to the success of therapy. Therapy requires a high level of trust. That is why therapists must keep your information private and not share it with others. There are limits to confidentiality. Confidentiality is only broken under specific circumstances. When there is a release of information giving permission. Circumstances when there is an immediate threat to your safety. There is a specific thereat to others' safety. If someone, like a child or an adult with disabilities, has been abused or is being abused.

Legal issues are stressful. It is understandable to want the support of a professional you trust. Going to court can strain the relationship and risk confidentiality in therapy. That is why I will not appear in court or write a letter on your behalf. During court, therapists must truthfully respond to questions asked by officials. Opposing sides' lawyers often misuse this information by taking it out of context. The other side could use this information to their advantage, not yours. These situations can be incredibly damaging to the therapeutic alliance. That is why I will not participate in legal proceedings.

Regarding writing official letters, this is approached with extreme caution for similar reasons. I will not provide psychological evaluations for fitness for duty. I can't evaluate these types of things or evaluate for Social Security. The only circumstances I am willing to write a letter to would be if it is beneficial rather than harmful. If you ask for this letter, talk to your lawyer about it to make sure it will help you and not hurt you. To write a letter, everyone involved must agree.