Anxiety
Anxiety is a very common reason for seeking psychotherapy.
Anxiety disorders are uncomfortable
and yet they often respond very well to effective, aggressive psychotherapy of the type Dr. Goodwin
provides.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder involves anxiety that leads to such behaviors as excessive
hand washing, checking and repeatedly flicking electrical switches, counting, repetitive movements
and distracting and disturbing thoughts. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can be treated very
effectively with psychotherapy. If the therapy is focused and effective, it is often the case that
clients start to feel relief beginning after only a few sessions.
The same is true of Panic Disorder,
Social Anxiety Disorder, and PTSD.
Depression
One way to think of Depression is to think of it as focusing backward in time.
The depressed person
has the sense that something has occurred that has taken away his/her ability to lead a happy life.
Rigorous research studies regarding the effectiveness of various types of psychotherapy have
consistently confirmed that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective.
It is a validated method
for the treatment of certain types of Depression. The foundation of the work is the analysis of the way
in which the depressed person has come to view his/her life experiences.
It is also vitally important
that the therapist and the client formulate alternative ways of being. The key goal is change.
Clients
are most successful when they embrace the notion that Change is achieved, first and foremost, by
changing. In order to achieve this, the client must find a therapist who can be trusted, respected,
confronted, appreciated, and liked. This work demands a very high level of cooperative work but the
benefits are invaluable. Together, the client and therapist devise new ways that the client can respond
to the inner and outer worlds.