Individual Therapy and Coaching

WHAT IS PSYCHO-THERAPY?

Therapy also called psychotherapy or “talking treatment”, is the process of meeting with a therapist to resolve problematic behaviors, beliefs, feelings, relational issues and/or somatic responses (sensations in the body).

Who can benefit from psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy can be used to help a wide range of people. Any individual that feels that his work-, relational-, family-, or personal life is spinning out of control can benefit from therapy. Feelings that are warning signs that you are in need of therapy are the following:

• Overwhelming feelings of sadness or helplessness and increased crying.
• Inability to concentrate and/or cope with everyday problems.
• Drinking, smoking or using drugs or being aggressive/acting out, to an extent that is harmful to themselves or others.
• A sense that life challenges like relationships, emotional well-being, sexual relationship, work, study choice, etc., never improve, despite receiving help from family or friends.
• Feeling constantly on edge, having panic attacks or worrying unnecessarily.
• Experiencing physiological symptoms (a headache, chest pains, heart palpitations, epileptic fits, blindness, paralysis, etc.) for which no medical explanation can be given.

Types of therapy

There are a number of approaches that psychologists use. These may include Behavioural Cognitive Therapy, Hypno-therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Interpersonal therapy, Family therapy, Group therapy, Gestalt therapy, Multi-modal therapy and many others. Therapist use one or often more approaches which they can relate to and are trained in.

What makes psychotherapy work?

The first and most important requirement for therapy to be effective is that the individual/client needs to be aware that he has a problem that has a negative impact on his daily functioning. This is then followed by therapy which is a two-way process in which the individual is actively engaged and is characterized by trust and respect between therapist and client.

How long does therapy last?

The duration of therapy is mainly determined by the intensity of the problem or seriousness of the traumatic event. Some individual clients or couples attend therapy that lasts only a few sessions (3- 12), whilst others may require long term-term therapy lasting months.

How much does therapy cost?

If you belong to a medical aid, your psychologist will usually accept their rates. If you have to pay cash, the rates may vary between R700.00 to R950.00 per hour.

What is the difference between therapy and coaching?

In essence, the difference between therapy and coaching is that psychotherapy deals with dysfunction and trauma. Therapists diagnose the problem and use expertise to promote healing. Clients attending coaching, on the other hand, tend to be healthy and are looking to upgrade their quality of life from good to great.

“I am not the product of my circumstances. I am the product of my decisions.” 
- Stephen Covey