Rachel F. Beck, LCSW-C

What to Expect

If you have a broken arm or a bad cold, you go see the doctor for help, right? Sometimes problems cannot be seen as easily. If you have trouble with relationships, your mood, how you are interpreting things, or are having difficultly managing a situation, going to see a psychotherapist is what you need to do. Psychotherapy can improve the way you think and feel.

Psychotherapy works by talking with a trained professional who is educated and familiar with your issues. There are many reasons to see a psychotherapist:

• The most important one is so you can start to feel better.
• You are having problems with your spouse, your brother or sister, your children, your co-workers,
• You are having problems with day-to-day living,
• You are not happy with the direction your life seems to be going.

You can expect psychotherapy to help you sort though your problems, develop goals and make positive changes.

Once you have contacted me, we will:

• Schedule your first appointment or assessment.
• During the initial session or assessment I generally take notes obtaining a developmental history, getting your family history, exploring any significant medical issues or traumas and discussing the presenting problem — or what brought you here.
• With this done I can then make a working diagnosis and we develop a treatment plan, in other words, determine what you hope to get out of the psychotherapy.

Together we will form a plan to help you. I will make recommendations to you but the final decision is yours. People want or need different things out of therapy:

• Sometimes people just want “symptom relief” or to get through a crisis.
• Sometimes people want to explore how they got to where they are and why they are not happy in their life or in their relationships.

You need to be willing and able to make a commitment to this exploration and the psychotherapeutic process. You need to be ready to do the work of changing. To bring about the changes you want and gain insight requires weekly attention. Often in addition to our talk sessions, I suggest books, behavioral exercises, and other interventions to facilitate the changes.

It is important that you find the right therapist for you. You need to find the therapist that you feel you can work with. You can get a lot out of psychotherapy. You can learn how to be happier, gain self awareness, and a mindful way of living. Psychotherapy can allow you to begin to live your life more fully.

Take the first step and call 410-433-8027 or email me at rachel@b2beck.com today.

Rachel F. Beck, LCSW-C

Learning to Feel Better