Unfolding a New Life Story

The experience of psychotherapy is a process of self-discovery that can have a profound effect on your ability to enjoy life. It can assist you deal more effectively with external stress and improve your internal comfort. It can advise you to take the reins of your life and direct your energy into endeavors that are meaningful and important to you. Psychotherapy can help you to create a different future.

One of the purposes of the psychotherapy process is to provide a safe environment to address problematic, painful, and limiting experiences. Psychotherapy empowers you to explore, understand, and develop aspects of yourself to meet the challenges to your health and alleviate harmful behaviors and symptoms. On occasion, the purpose may be to grieve losses, accept limitations beyond your control, and find your sources of inner strength and creativity. This process allows you to become involved, enriched, and committed to living your life to the fullest extent possible. And sometimes, psychotherapy can be a way to explore and enhance your life experiences to clarify your ideas and resolve a specific problem. The psychotherapy experience can include one or all of these purposes.

The experience of psychotherapy works best when the client takes an active role in the therapy process, has a commitment to grow, and a willingness to work with the therapist. You can increase the benefits of our work by:

1. Developing a neutral, nonjudgmental awareness that allows you to observe your patterns and behavior without blaming or shaming self-talk.
2. Talking honestly about your thoughts and feelings, the therapy process itself, and especially the things that are the hardest to talk about.
3. Practicing in "real" life the skills and tasks that you are learning (Doing your "homework").

Psychotherapy is not always comfortable because it is often connected to painful feelings and events and to working out of damaging patterns of behavior and interaction. There may be times when you feel resistant, nervous, or upset about coming. This is a normal part of working through problems. However, if you are overwhelmed by the process or regularly upset and see no progress in a relatively short amount of time, please talk about it right away so a positive action can be taken to make you more comfortable.

The relationship with your therapist is a special one. It is a relationship in which you share intensely private and personal information. It is very important to know:

1. What you say is held in strictest confidence.
2. That exceptions to confidentiality are clearly spelled out.
3. That you will not be judged or devalued.

It is a professional relationship that may be friendly, but not a friendship. The therapist’s personal life and needs are not a part of the relationship. The context for therapy is for you, the client, to explore, clarify, understand your issues, and make independent decisions and choices. It is important to the therapy process to preserve the special nature of this relationship. For this reason, personal invitations, gifts, requests to serve as a witness in legal proceedings, to give references, or to talk to your associates, and other similar requests cannot be accepted.

I look forward to working together to unravel your journey.

Masa Consulting, Inc. | 5100 Eden Ave Suite 319, Minneapolis, MN 55436
952-922-0422 | 952-922-0421 fax | info@masaconsulting.com