Psychotherapy
The Psychology and Psychotherapy of Taking Medicine
Can the spoken word be mightier than the pill? The answer is yes, but often the combination of medication and talk therapy are better. The most effective treatment combines appropriate medication symptom relief with talk therapy geared towards future resiliency. Even if considering medication is important, the idea of putting a medicine into our bodies is a medical intervention and rightly feels invasive. At Pondworks we respect the complexity of how it feels to consider taking a medication and integrate an understanding of what it means for you in psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy and Psychiatry in Austin TX
Does the idea of psychotherapy in a Psychiatry office sound like TV and the closest you’ll get to psychiatric psychotherapy is on a show like “In Treatment” or “The Soprano’s”? Well it’s not impossible at Pondworks as about half of all our appointments each week are weekly psychotherapy sessions. Truly combining both treatments with a single provider can be the best option for some. If we see you just for medications and you have a second talk therapy provider, psychotherapy still drives how we think about helping you. Psychotherapy driving psychiatric understanding also helps to successfully re-craft a treatment with you if something isn’t working out.
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Services
Whether or not your Pondworks provider actually sees you for psychotherapy (which is a longer, recurring 45-minute appointment, vs a 20-30-minute medication management appointment), our psychotherapy training will be involved. We don’t ever really stop listening for the “whole person” story! Even if you go to a therapist outside of our office, our office’s relationship with that therapist will be better informed, due to our approach, which means better care for you.
Psychotherapist and Patient Relationship
Your relationship with the provider you choose is the most important part in your mental health care. You need to feel comfortable. However, it’s also important to choose a provider who has the “active mind” of setting aside their own agenda and focus on relating and allying with your recovery and growth objectives. Active ongoing therapy training and practice are crucial to being able to establish this therapeutic relationship.
What a Psychotherapist Can Do To Help
Talking about how you feel is good for you. That’s a scientific fact. Really! Talk therapy, which is known to be effective, is in part effective because of the positive sense of feeling “put together” or whole when we are heard. Put another way, when you put your experience into words, you gain clarity and momentum to change your life.
Going to a psychotherapist is different from talking with a friend or family member because we listen differently. We have studied human development, worked with alot of people and keep your life history in mind when we hear your stories. Psychotherapy in Austin ranges from more relaxed conversation to listening and holding your most personal thoughts and feelings. In an effective treatment, over time you will begin to notice yourself engaged in new approaches to life situations.
How Much Psychotherapy do Pondworks Providers do?
I’m glad you asked! The rubber meets the road with this question and you’ll begin to see where Pondworks leaves the crowd behind. At Pondworks, about half of all our appointments are weekly psychotherapy sessions. You can rest assured that when we talk about providing psychotherapy we are “walking the talk!” Providers are truly practicing, learning and growing in their ability to conduct psychotherapy.
Will I get benefit if I see an early-career provider?
The answer is it depends. Any therapist you see is at some personal point along their development curve as a therapist. There are pluses and minuses for us as therapists wherever we may be on this curve. We have seen in certain cases new providers sometimes outperforming well seasoned ones. Why and how could this be? We know that there are “common factors” in therapy that are available to both new and experienced therapists. These common factors can lead to significant benefit for anyone receiving care.
Where earlier career providers often struggle is how to identify reframe and re-establish a treatment with you if something isn’t working. At Pondworks we believe that through supervision, case consultation, education and ongoing learning, early career providers get the support they need to understand and frame successful care. Once this happens the common factors of a caring human relationship can do their healing work!
The Psychology and Psychotherapy of Taking Medicine in Austin TX
Psychotherapy Austin
