CONSULTATION
A consultation takes place during the first meeting with the psychotherapist. Its aim is to interview the patient, gather data and discuss specific difficulties. It may take the form of a single meeting or end with the selection of the most appropriate form of assistance, e.g. individual short-term or long-term therapy, couples therapy, etc. If together with the patient we decide to start psychotherapy, we discuss goals of the therapy, the patient’s expectations and how long the therapy will take during consultation meetings. Additionally, I answer questions about psychotherapy and we discuss therapeutic cooperation. There are usually 1 to 3 consultation meetings followed by actual therapy sessions. If necessary, I also refer patients for medical consultations.
Duration of a consultation meeting: 50 minutes
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
Psychotherapy is a form of assistance based on a conversation. It serves to reduce mental suffering and better understand oneself as well as own experiences, needs and fears. Psychotherapy helps to see and understand what the greatest difficulty in life is currently; it allows the patient to investigate his or her impact on the adversities that arise in life. The most important aim of psychotherapy is to lead to such changes in experiencing and functioning that will allow the difficulties, problems or reported symptoms to cease or diminish, and enable wellbeing to improve. Psychotherapy helps and heals.
I provide individual psychotherapy for adults and adolescents. I work in an integrative manner based on the psychodynamic and EMDR approach. I combine elements of various streams so that therapeutic interventions effectively meet my patients’ individual needs and abilities.
How to start individual psychotherapy?
First of all, you need to arrange an appointment by phone. The first 1 to 3 consultation meetings serve diagnostic purposes. They allow the therapist to understand the patient’s problems and situation and to propose the best form of help, adapted to the patient’s needs and abilities. During consultation meetings, we discuss therapeutic goals together. I propose the duration of the therapy, adjusted to the patient’s needs and the current situation.
Duration of a psychotherapy session: 50 minutes
EMDR THERAPY
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
It is particularly helpful and valuable for people who have experienced psychological trauma and find it extremely hard to cope with traumatic memories and experiences. EMDR therapy is recommended for people who are suffering from trauma related to a past event, such as physical and psychological abuse, rape, accident, abandonment by a caregiver in childhood, etc.
EMDR is an empirical and evidence-based therapy. Its effectiveness has been confirmed by numerous clinical studies. EMDR therapy is recommended by the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association.
EMDR therapy helps to change the patient’s perception of past events so that they become memories rather than continually relived experiences.
ONLINE PSYCHOTHERAPY
In terms of the therapeutic process, online therapy does not differ from in-office therapy. The first 1 to 3 consultation meetings serve diagnostic purposes. They allow the therapist to understand the patient’s problems and situation and to propose the best form of help, adapted to the patient’s needs and abilities. During consultation meetings, we discuss therapeutic goals together with the patient. I propose how long the therapy needs to take that will be most beneficial for the patient.
Online psychotherapy is usually addressed to the people for whom in-office psychotherapy is difficult to access. It can be used, for example, by people who – because of their place of residence – cannot receive professional assistance in their mother tongue, have limited mobility or travel frequently, which makes regular psychotherapy sessions impossible. Presently, I conduct some of my therapeutic processes online due to the epidemic status in Poland and worldwide.
Before commencing psychotherapy via instant messaging apps (Zoom, Skype), I make sure that there are no contraindications to this type of therapy. These may include, among others, recurrent suicidal thoughts and self-aggressive behaviour, psychotic states, strong addiction to psychoactive substances or problems with inhibiting aggression.
COUPLES THERAPY
Couples therapy helps to develop partners’ communication skills and to deal with feelings in a constructive and relationship-serving way. With the help of the therapist, partners can look at the difficulties in their relationship, better understand their causes, and look for joint solutions. During therapy, we focus on the individual experiences of each partner and seek recurring patterns of interaction between partners to transform them into more flexible ones that better serve their relationship.
PERINATAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
Perinatal psychotherapy is addressed to the women who experience difficulties during pregnancy or after childbirth. Pregnancy is a time of hormonal, physical and emotional changes. Having a baby is a huge life change. These changes are often accompanied by anxiety and depression, which can occur both during pregnancy and after delivery. Psychotherapy begins with a consultation meeting, during which we discuss the difficulties experienced and the goals of the therapy. A baby up to 12 months old can accompany the mother during the session.