What is Therapy?

 You may cry, you will probably laugh and you will most definitely grow!


What is therapy?

Can therapy help me?
Therapy offers you a safe, confidential place to talk about your life and anything that may be confusing, painful or uncomfortable. It allows you to talk with someone who is trained to listen attentively and to help you improve things.  It is a set time and space for  you to learn how to work through the many complex issues that we are often faced with on a regular basis.

Are there different types of therapy and what does that mean to me?

Most therapists will tell you that there are a lot of different therapy modalities out there.  So, how do we decide which modality or technique is the best one to use in your situation?  Well, here is where we get scientific on you!  We use evidence-based practices that have been scientifically proven to work with specific issues and presenting problem.  Some of the more common therapy modalities are the following:
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
  • Expressive Arts Therapy
  • Sand Tray Therapy
  • Narrative Therapy
  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
  • Trauma-informed Therapies

At PPG we understand and place an emphasis on the fact that you and your problem are unique and because of that, we do not subscribe to the "cookie cutter" style of counseling.  We work together with you to help you decide what type of therapy will give you the best results possible
We are going to a bit biased on this answer.  Therapy can help almost everyone feel better about themselves, their life and the things that bother them.  Therapy is evidence-based, which means that we don't just state things to you or help you understand your life in a willy-nilly way.  We use different professional perspectives to help you gain a sense of understanding and accomplishment in your life.

We certainly cannot guarantee that counseling will work for you but we can guarantee that we will do the absolute best job possible to help you meet your goals.  With this in mind, please understand that we do not hold a magic wand, even if we would like to.  Counseling is not about waving that magic wand, it is about a process or even better a journey through difficult challenges in life and how to grow as a result of these challenges.

What will we talk about in therapy?

Therapy is client-centered in nature, meaning that we let you take the lead when you feel comfortable doing this.  If you are not yet ready to 'bring issues to therapy' then we help you decide what issues you may or may not want to work on in therapy.  Some issues that are commonly worked on in therapy include:
  • Communication problems in relationships
  • Work stress
  • Parenting issues
  • History of abuse/neglect and/or trauma
  • How to deal with certain "problematic" people in your life
  • How to feel better and even more congruent with yourself.
  • Working through traumatic experience

With children & adolescents:
  • Bullying
  • Self-esteem
  • Sexual orientation
  • Anxiety/ Depression
  • Parental separations
  • Sibling rivalry
  • Anger management
  • ADHD
  • Trauma