Individual Therapy

Individual therapy allows someone to work through their troubling thoughts, emotions, and behaviors with a professional therapist. One-on-one time with a mental health professional can significantly improve someone’s mental health and well-being. Individual therapy provides someone a safe environment to work on their mental health without judgment. 

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Personalized treatments involve meeting with a clinically-trained professional that knows you well. You will be able to work with your therapist to develop a treatment plan that is unique to your healing journey. Individual therapy is an essential step towards recovering from trauma and treating your mental health symptoms.

What is Individual Therapy?

Individual therapy is private treatment with licensed therapists and medical professionals. It can include somatic experiencing, neurofeedback, and individual psychoeducation. Somatic experiencing resolves trauma that accumulates in our bodies through physical exercises. Neurofeedback measures how the brain works and functions. Psychoeducation provides information for someone to help them better understand their mental health condition. 

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Overall, individual therapy combines various techniques to provide treatment unique to the individual and their needs. There are many varieties of individual therapy that can be used to treat tailor treatment for specific mental health conditions.

Types of Individual Therapy

Different forms of individual therapy have been developed to accommodate the unique needs of different mental health conditions. One of the most popular forms of individual therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). 

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CBT helps someone identify harmful thoughts and behaviors and replace them with new, healthier ones. Re-training the process of how we react can help treat a number of different mental health issues, including:

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• Anxiety
• Depression 
• Addiction 
• PTSD

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CBT is one of the most well-researched and most effective forms of psychotherapy. 

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Learn About CBT at Sequoia

Coping Strategies and DBT

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is also a type of psychotherapy that combines the goal-focused strategies of CBT with mindfulness and coping strategies. 

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DBT is particularly beneficial to those suffering from emotional dysregulation. It teaches people to address and work through their intense emotions rather than ignore them. 

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Although it was originally designed to treat borderline personality disorder, people with ADHD, anxiety, and bipolar disorder can also experience the benefits of DBT. This therapy promotes validation and acceptance while teaching individuals healthier coping mechanisms.

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Learn more about DBT at Sequoia.

Treating Trauma with EMDR

EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. EMDR uses the mechanics of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to help people relive and correctly process traumatic memories. Bilateral stimulation is used to relax the patient while also opening necessary pathways to memory storage. This allows someone to have a safe place to address and heal from their traumatic experiences. 

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Learn more about EMDR at Sequoia

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These are just a few of the many therapy types that are used to treat mental and behavior conditions. Individual therapy can provide invaluable benefits to those suffering from mental health conditions.

Benefits of Individual Therapy

One of the most important benefits of individual therapy is the connection with your therapist. Therapeutic alliance is the term used to describe the relationship between the therapist and the client. Therapists put a lot of effort into strengthening the therapeutic alliance, and they do this in a number of ways. Some of the ways therapists build therapeutic alliance are:

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• Collaboration 
• Empathy
• Goal alignment 
• Patient feedback
• Positive affirmation 

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Therapists strive to build a quality and effective relationship with their patient to deliver personalized treatment. By building a therapeutic alliance with their patient, a therapist can tailor treatment to the specific needs of their patient. If certain treatments aren’t producing results, they can alter their patient’s treatment plan. Therapeutic alliances and personalized treatment plans are what make individual therapy particularly beneficial.

What to Expect from Individual Therapy

The first step in getting started with individual therapy is the intake process. During this time, you will meet with an admission specialist that will ask questions in order to get to know you better. During the intake process, the specialist will work with you to determine your treatment program and start date. Pickup and drop-off dates will be arranged for inpatient treatment clients. 

Personal Assessment

Your first day of treatment involves meeting with a mental health professional to develop your specialized treatment plan. The professional will discuss your health history, your struggles, and what you plan on accomplishing with treatment. This information will help tailor your treatment plan to fit your specific needs.

Treatment

After your assessment, you will be able to begin treatment. Treatment plans are unique to everyone, as everyone has specific mental health concerns that they want to address. Psychoanalysis therapy involves discussions with your therapist to replace unhealthy thought and behavior patterns with positive and healthy alternatives.

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Other types of therapy use specialized methods to treat a variety of mental health conditions. Neurofeedback therapy involves measuring brain waves to help restructure brain functions. EMDR therapy uses a variety of stimulations, like bilateral stimulation, while a patient discusses their traumatic experiences. This helps the patient desensitize themselves from their trauma and reduce the negative impact trauma has on them. 

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Read our related article to learn more about what you can expect from therapy.

Inpatient Treatment at Sequoia Behavioral Health

In addition to CBT, DBT, and EMDR, Sequoia Behavioral Health offers additional inpatient treatments that are tailored to the individual.

Somatic Experiencing

This type of therapy is designed to relieve stress and trauma that is stored in the body. Somatic experiencing brings mindfulness to physical and psychological responses while working through someone’s trauma. 

Attachment Style Therapy

This type of psychotherapy provides insight into how someone forms and maintains relationships. Attachment style therapy helps individuals identify their attachment style, understand how it affects their relationships, and develop secure attachment patterns.

Trauma Therapy

Trauma often has a lasting impact on someone’s mental health, and can be a contributing factor towards the development of several mental health conditions. Trauma therapy provides a safe and supportive environment to work through trauma, and teaches positive coping skills for a healthier lifestyle. 

Mental Health Treatment at Sequoia Behavioral Health

At Sequoia Behavioral Health, we design our treatments with the client in mind. Clients can expect a comfortable environment centered around rest, recovery, and healing. Inpatient clients are able to meet with their therapists daily, while our outpatient clients will have individual and group counseling whenever they’re here. 

Read our related article to discover more treatment options at Sequoia Behavioral Health.

We take a holistic approach to your healing journey, and we provide tailored treatment suited to your unique needs. Reach out today to get started.