Therapy is scientifically proven to work!
You Are Not Alone...and Therapy Can Help!
Almost 50 million Americans suffer from psychological difficulties. In a 1995 study by Consumer Reports, of 4,000 people who used a therapist, 90% reported being able to manage their lives better. This study also showed that patients who choose their own therapist (as opposed to being restricted by insurance providers) fare better.
The amount of time a person was able to remain in therapy was also related to their satisfaction with therapy results – patients who stayed in therapy for at least six months improved more than patients who received less treatment.
Numerous other studies have also shown the effectiveness of psychotherapy for many problems of living including depression, anxiety, family of origin issues, relationship issues, self-esteem problems, work difficulties, sexual concerns, parenting concerns and life-transition problems. Current research suggests that medications are equally (but not more) effective when compared to psychotherapy. Thus patients can choose to take medications, attend therapy, or do both.
An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, 2008) showed that long term psychoanalytic psychotherapy showed “significantly higher outcomes in overall effectiveness, target problems, and personality functioning than shorter forms of psychotherapy”. It went on to say that after treatment with long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy patients with complex problems were better off than 96% of the patients who had other forms of therapy that were not as intense or lengthy.
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy focuses on the deeper issues that drive our behaviors and can cause us to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Participating in this type of therapy for at least six months can create long-lasting and significant changes in a person’s life.
Consultations are free and can be scheduled within 2-3 days of calling our office. We look forward to helping you!
Articles on Psychotherapy Outcomes:
“The Efficacy of Psychotherapy” is an extensive review of studies supporting psychodynamic (or “insight-oriented”) psychotherapy. This is the kind of therapy that I practice. For the full article follow the link above. What follows is the abstract/article summary:
Empirical evidence supports the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy. Effect sizes for psychodynamic therapy are as large as those reported for other therapies that have been actively promoted as “empirically supported” and “evidence based.” In addition, patients who receive psychodynamic therapy maintain therapeutic gains and appear to continue to improve after treatment ends. Finally, non psychodynamic therapies may be effective in part because the more skilled practitioners utilize techniques that have long been central to psychodynamic theory and practice. The perception that psychodynamic approaches lack empirical support does not accord with available scientific evidence and may reflect selective dissemination of research findings.
”Getting to Know Me”, by Jonathan Shedler is another excellent article (obviously by the same author) on the benefits of psychodynamic psychotherapy. This article is written for the public, as opposed to the one above that was intended for a professional audience.