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Couple - Marriage
Counselor & Counseling Services Monmouth County, NJ
1. What can I expect from short-term treatment?
In short term treatment the therapist and the client(s) form
clear, mutually agreed upon goals (e.g., to learn communication
skills, to lose 20 pounds, to stop smoking, etc.). The therapist
will assign tasks (homework assignments) that focus on changing
the client’s behaviors between sessions. These changes in behavior
are designed to help clients achieve their therapeutic goals. The
focus is on achieving solutions to issues. The therapist suggests
new ways to achieve goals so the client becomes more self sufficient
– that is, better able to solve his/her own problems becoming less
dependent upon the therapist’s help with time.
2. How long does treatment take?
This depends on the issues being dealt with, as well as how
much the client strives to make changes. In general, the more the
client is willing to make changes in themselves toward their desired
goals, the quicker treatment will be. At present, follow up surveys
show that 98% of aspi18 clients make significant progress after
only six sessions. Again, this depends on the diagnosis and the
client’s commitment to change.
3. Who is needed in treatment sessions?
This depends on whether the issue involves the client’s interactions
with others or is a purely individual concern. Treatment for couples
issues, for example, is more effective if both parties participate
in treatment. This way the therapist can see the patterns of interaction,
rather than just listening to one party’s subjective opinion of
what happens in the relationship. However, if the client is not
yet ready to work on the relationship, but instead wants assistance
in taking a direction or clarifying his/her feelings, then it would
be appropriate for the client to be seen individually.
4. How do I manage anxiety/stress?
Psychological research has shown that people react very differently
to
stressful events such as the loss of a job or relationship. One
can see
examples of this every day as people respond very differently to
the
challenges in their lives. From this perspective, the term stress
is better
used to refer to how one reacts to events, rather than to the actual
events
themselves.
Stressful situations involve an interaction between a challenging
situation
and an individual’s style of coping. Tension is created by
how one reacts to
situations, not the situations themselves. Events may be experienced
as
stressful because they make demands we are not prepared to handle.
Relaxing under pressure is a learnable skill. Your talent and hard
work won’t
show if you become too stressed. Excessive stress can cause:
-Memory loss
-Muscle tension
-Restricted movement
-Decreased concentration
-Nausea
-Reduced endurance
You don’t have to be vulnerable to such stress. Just as you
create your own
stress, you are also able to create your own relaxation.
You will learn mental skills that help you to:
-Relax before and during stressful situations
-Improve concentration
-Feel positive and confident
-Effectively handle mistakes
-Realize your potential
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