We provide psychological assessment and therapy for children, youth, adults, families and couples who are experiencing the following kinds of concerns:
There are many reasons for which people seek psychotherapy. Just as each person is unique, so are the issues that may bring someone to treatment. Typically, people seek therapy due to a sense of dissatisfaction with life or emotional pain. This can be an immediate distress related to a clear crisis such as a loss or separation, or perhaps an ongoing difficulty in some area of life such as relationships, work, and school. Some people might seek psychotherapy because they are suffering from strong, debilitating sadness, fear or worry. At other times, people may have no clear external problems, but an inner sense of dissatisfaction, emptiness, or that something is missing.
Hundreds of well-designed research studies have demonstrated that most people benefit from psychotherapy. More specifically, approximately 75% of those who participate in psychotherapy show improvement. Although response varies, many people can experience improvement quite quickly (10 to 20 sessions or less). Psychotherapy is effective for a wide range of problems such as anxiety, depression, relationship problems, lifestyle change and stress, among others. Research has shown that the improvements made in psychotherapy are generally long lasting.
Psychotherapy is a special kind of relationship, where you will talk with your therapist to resolve your difficulties and create new possibilities. Your therapists’ role is to help you make changes in your life. Your therapist brings knowledge and expertise about how to help people make changes and overcome psychological difficulties; however, it is important to know that you are at the center of therapy and will work as a teammate with your therapist. Treatment length is personal and tailored to the your needs. However, most commonly you will meet with your therapist for 50 minutes once per week. During this 50-minute session you and your therapist will draw on your knowledge, skills, and experiences that will help you work toward your goals, even if it has been difficult for you to access these resources on your own in the past. Psychotherapy should help you uncover the importance of your own choices and actions, particularly in those periods of your life when you may see only limited or distressing options.
To work towards your goals, your therapist may ask you to experiment with new or different ways of thinking, acting, or feeling. Your imagination, your honesty with yourself, and your commitment to your development will be important assets. Your therapist may also ask you to try some exercises between sessions, keep personal notes about some of your experiences, or complete forms about your experiences and progress. What you do during psychotherapy may also change over time depending on your needs, and the nature of your difficulties.
A psychological assessment will help you better understand yourself or your child and lay the groundwork for a plan to achieve the changes you wish to make. A good plan must be based on a complete understanding of the relevant issues. In some cases an assessment will result in a diagnosis to better understand a possible learning, attention, mental health or developmental problem. If you wish, the results of an assessment can be shared with your doctor or your child’s school. At Eastwood Psychologists we often consult with family doctors, teachers, and insurance companies on behalf of our clients.
Parents often ask for a psychological assessment to better understand why their child is struggling. Parents also want help in deciding on the next step in treatment or educational intervention. Parents may wonder if their child has a developmental, learning, attention, or psychiatric disorder. They understand that the correct diagnosis, combined with in depth information about a child’s particular strengths and needs, leads to a better treatment plan. Last, parents hope that the assessment results will help schools respond better to their child’s needs.
You and/or your child will attend 3-6 appointments, but the number of appointments will vary depending on the circumstances. Your psychologist will interview you and ask you to complete some questionnaires about yourself or your child/teen. With your permission, a teacher (or someone outside the family who knows you or your child well) may also be asked to complete some questionnaires. In the case of child assessment your psychologist may need to observe your child in a natural setting (e.g., at school or daycare). Furthermore, you or your child will be formally assessed in the office using psychological tests. Test scores will be compared to those from a large group of other people of the same age (the standardization sample). Comparing to the standardization sample allows your psychologist to judge how your results or your child’s results compare to others of the same age.
Following the formal assessment period (i.e., interviews, observations, questionnaires, & testing), your psychologist will study all the information, and will get a picture of the situation. This picture is called the clinical formulation, or the explanation of your difficulties or your child’s difficulties. Clinical formulations are based on psychological theory and research, they offer an opinion about the cause and nature of the difficulties and they lead to specific treatment recommendations. The psychologist will meet with you to go over the results and recommendations for support at school and at home. You will also receive a written report summarizing all of the information.