Counseling Services Your first appointment (or more, in some cases) will involve an assessment of your needs. By the end of the assessment your counselor will be able to offer you some first impressions of what your work may include and recommendations for getting help. One of the recommendations may be psychotherapy. If so, APC may or may not be able to provide you with psychotherapy, depending on your overall needs. If psychotherapy or any other recommendations suggested by your counselor include things that APC cannot provide, you will be given suggestions of where you might receive those services. Wherever you choose to obtain treatment, you should evaluate the information from your initial assessment along with your own opinions of what sort of treatment you are willing to do and whether you feel comfortable working with the treating clinician. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, energy, and often money, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about the procedures used or conclusions made by your counselor at APC, please discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, your counselor will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another mental health professional for a second opinion. Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the particular problems you are experiencing, the therapeutic methods used by your counselor, and the personalities of the counselor and client. There are many different methods counselors may use to deal with the problems that you hope to address. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will have to work on things that are discussed both during your sessions and on your own. Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, shame, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. The changes you make in therapy may also affect your relationships in unexpected ways. Psychotherapy has also been shown to have many benefits. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. But there are no guarantees of what you will experience.
