Individual Therapy in Baltimore

If you are struggling in a difficult relationship, or with problems in your own life or self, therapy can help you look at those problems with a fresh set of eyes and a perspective that is objective, neutral, and completely non-judgmental.

Many people find that this element alone makes therapy very worthwhile for them. More than that, our counselors are trained to understand human psychology and functioning and are familiar with common negative patterns that many people follow to their own detriment. They can therefore help you break these patterns and set up new, healthier ones.

Sometimes, even before you get to a place where you can think about solving the problem, you just need some emotional support. Validation and understanding are powerful gifts that a therapist can give you. The emotional support that comes from a good therapeutic relationship can be invaluable.

Some of the concrete benefits that you can gain from therapy include:

• Learning healthier relationship skills such as communication and conflict resolution.

• Gaining a better understanding of yourself, your motivations, and your goals.

• Finding new ways to deal with your emotions, including anger, anxiety, and stress.

• Resolving a particular problem that you need help with.

• Improving low self-esteem.

• Breaking out of unhealthy patterns of behavior.

Not at all. Everyone can benefit from therapy.

A therapist is an objective third party who can help you think through the challenges you are facing and find a way to resolve them, or help moderate conflict you are having with one or more other people.

A therapist is trained in theories and techniques that can help you achieve the goals you are aiming for. There is no shame in seeking outside help for a problem you are having trouble solving on your own any more than there is in going to a doctor for back pain you haven’t been able to get rid of.

Reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of wisdom and courage.

There isn’t anyone who doesn’t face some difficulties in their life, and there isn’t anyone who couldn’t benefit from personal time with a therapist!

The best answer we can give to you is to come try out a session with us!

Clients must feel their therapist is a good fit for them, and the only real way to do that is to try them out. There is nothing wrong with “shopping around” and trying different therapists until you find the one for you (though in most circumstances we don’t recommend continuing to see more than one therapist at a time).

You might come for a session or two and then decide you’d prefer to work with someone else, and that’s fine too. After all, you are the client and you are the one who needs to feel you’re getting what you want out of the process.

You can also check out our client testimonials to see what others have said about working with us.

Every individual has a different experience in therapy since every individual has different strengths and weaknesses, different personal characteristics, histories, family configuration, and so on.

In general, you can expect to discuss what is going on in your life from week to week and past experiences relevant to your issue.

Generally therapy takes place on a weekly basis. The first few sessions will likely involve a lot of information-gathering so that your therapist can understand where you’re at and where you’re coming from. It is unlikely that you will see major improvement after just one or two sessions – therapy is a process of making changes in your life that are sometimes quite significant.

Odds are you’ve been living and behaving a certain way for months or years or perhaps decades; it will take more than an hour to change that.

Another important consequence of this is that you will not always feel wonderful or cheery during or after a therapy session. While we try to instill our clients with hope and appreciation for the process, sometimes we will discuss uncomfortable or unpleasant topics; sometimes you might not like what we have to say; sometimes you will see setbacks in your progress.

These are all normal parts of the growth process. Our hope and our job is that in the end you should find yourself in a much better place, and much happier, than when you began.

It is important to understand that you will get out of therapy only what you put in. That is to say, you should expect to be an active participant, not a passive listener at a lecture.

Our goal is to help you bring what you learn in the therapy room back into your life. Therefore, your therapist might give you “homework” to do, or recommend certain activities outside of session. Examples include charting behavior, reading a book, keeping a journal, and more.

People seeking psychotherapy are ready to make positive changes in their lives, are open to new perspectives and take responsibility for their lives.

There is no one answer to this question.

Therapy can be as short as a single session, or a few weeks or months, or even years. It depends what issue(s) you are trying to solve, and how deep-seated they might be.

As an example, specific phobias (e.g. fear of snakes) can often be resolved in just a few sessions; in contrast, people who have suffered childhood trauma might find themselves in therapy for much longer.

We do not prescribe medication at our center; only a medical doctor can do so. If you don’t have a psychiatrist already who can prescribe for you, we can help you find one. We generally do not recommend obtaining psychiatric prescriptions from general practitioners.

We believe that medication can be an important part of therapy, especially when dealing with problems that are severely debilitating. The wide range of medications we have available today have helped innumerable patients overcome problems they were unable to solve any other way.

At the same time, it is not for everybody, nor is it necessarily a first-round option (particularly when dealing with children). Nor does medication usually solve a problem all on its own, without therapy.

If medication is relevant to your situation, your provider will give you his/her professional opinion and help you make the right choice for you. It is important to be aware when trying a new medication that any positive effects may take a few weeks to kick in. Your psychiatrist and your therapist will work with you to find a medication that helps you and that you can tolerate.

Most insurance plans do cover mental health services, i.e., individual therapy. However, the Baltimore Therapy Center does not accept insurance for various reasons (see here for more information). We can provide an invoice for you to submit to your health insurance carrier for reimbursement.

In therapy you share what’s going on in your life, in your relationship, in your head – really, you get to talk about anything you want!

Your therapist will help you think through these things, provide some insight and reflections on what might be going on underneath the surface, and help you make change in the parts of your life that aren’t going the way you want.

They might work with you on new approaches to the problems you’re facing, do role plays in session, or give you homework exercises for practice. But ultimately, you’ll decide together how best to approach things (hey, role-playing isn’t for everyone!).

For more information, check out this blog post: What is a first therapy session like?

These terms are used interchangeably nowadays. Whether you are seeing someone who calls themselves a therapist or a counselor, the service you’re getting depends much more on the individual person than on what they call themselves.

At Baltimore Therapy Center we provide individual therapy, couples counseling, family therapy, life coaching, dating coaching, anger management counseling, adoption counseling, support for addiction recovery, and psychological evaluations including emotional support animal (ESA) letters and bariatric surgery evaluations. We help clients with concerns such as anxiety, depression, relationship issues, family conflict, stress management, parenting challenges, and many life transitions.

Choosing the right therapist is important. At Baltimore Therapy Center you can review therapist bios on our website to learn about their specialties and experience. If you’re unsure, our office team can help match you with a clinician whose approach aligns with your goals, concerns, and personality so you feel supported from your first session onward.

The length of therapy varies based on your goals and needs. Some clients come for short-term work to focus on specific concerns, while others choose longer-term support for deeper personal and relationship growth. We regularly check in with you about progress and adjust your plan together as needed.