potential benefits of psychotherapy

The following is a limited list of potential benefits and risks that you may experience by engaging in psychotherapy. It is important to have a clear and realistic understanding of what outcomes you may experience. 

Increase in positive affect. You may feel increased hopefulness and optimism about the future. You may develop the capacity to feel happy, hopeful feelings for expanding periods of time. You may feel less sadness, anxiety and anger and more relaxed, peaceful and patient.

Increase in feelings of confidence and self worth. You may experience increased compassion for yourself. Accepting your “humanness” and learning to forgive yourself and accept your limits. You may also develop ability to better recognize and remember your abilities and strengths.

Increased compassion for others. You may experience increased ability to tolerate limitations and faults in others and as a result accept peoples “humanness.”

Increase your ability to handle stress and difficult life circumstances by utilizing newly developed coping skills and creating more manageable ways of accomplishing your goals.

Increase your ability to control difficult emotional reactions such as anger, pain, sadness, anxiety and fear. You may be better able to distinguish what your emotional reaction is and how to make a decision in regard to your behavior.

Increase your capacity for intimacy and closeness in relationships. You may be able to improve your relationships by having increased capacity for trust, communication, conflict resolution, and affection.