Individual Therapy
Benefits
-
free to address issues / concerns without family
present
-
privacy assured
-
can be intense experience - one on one attention
from another person facilitates intra-psychic
change
-
ability to work on issues unique to the individual
-
provides support and an objective listener
-
helps individual face issues and learn to cope in
healthier ways
-
expands a person's thinking about themselves
and others
-
models empathy, creativity and authenticity
-
changes in an individual contributes to changes in family
-
adolescents especially can have a safe space to
deal in privacy with issues they don't want to
discuss with their parents
-
in a non-judgmental environment, they can
develop problem solving strategies and more
mature ways of dealing with difficult feelings
Risks
-
individual may be viewed as "the one with the
problem"
-
changes in individual causes a process of adapting
in family which may result in additional
stress
-
things may get worse before they get better
-
emotionally challenging and sometimes painful
-
potentially pathologizes and labels individuals negatively
-
adolescents may "outgrow" other members of
the family
-
individual change may loosen marital bond
-
one-sided; may miss family dynamics
-
attachment (dependence) of adolescent / adult on
therapist
-
abandonment issues may be elicited during termination
if not handled well by therapist
-
family member not present to clarify / explain
-
aldolescent may distort picture of family
-
adolescent may also experience individual therapy as a statement that they are seen as the
problem; they may feel more isolated from their family
CHIMO Youth and Family Services
2 Kent Street West, Unit #3
Lindsay, ON
K9V 2Y1
Central Intake: 1-888-454-6275
