The Top 4 Truths About Therapy in Austin, TX
In this day and age, misinformation travels faster than information, which travels about the same speed as a vehicle on northbound IH-35 the Friday afternoon before the Red River Rivalry game between UT and OU. It makes you wonder how much information never reaches its destination or gets there too late.
When it comes to the subject of therapy in Austin, TX, information that’s caught in a traffic jam can make the difference between someone reaching out to find a therapist vs. choosing not to and hoping things won’t get worse. It can be really hard to separate fact from fiction if you’ve never been in therapy before.
Maybe you’ve looked at a few therapist directories online and wondered about some of the profiles you read… But something’s missing—your sense of assurance that therapy, and one of these therapists, will help you get from point A to point B.
So as someone who provides therapy in Austin, TX, I’m stepping in to give you a little info from an insider’s perspective. Read on if you need clarity about therapy; as they say, the truth will set you free!
Truth #1: Therapy in Austin, TX Is Like a Slow-food Meal
Therapy takes time. While it’s important in your shopping-around phase to ask prospective therapists about how long they tend to work with clients, please understand that the process of change is not something that is sold through a drive-through window.
If you want slow food, you go to a slow-food restaurant. If you want fast food, you go to a fast-food restaurant. What kind of food is better for you? Yup. Now you get it. Therapy is like a slow-food meal; it’s an experience, not an event.
Prepare to invest time in this experience. You’re worth it. I know you want to feel better yesterday, but the fast-food approach is probably something you’ve already tried and didn’t get any long-term benefit from.
When prospective clients ask me how long therapy will take, I let them know that at least 20 sessions will be needed. It all depends on what circumstances the particular individual has to work with.
The clients I see are helping professionals who identify with burnout, and the burnout-inducing forces in their lives can lengthen our time together. What forces in your own life could affect your progress in therapy?
Truth #2: Therapy in Austin, TX Helps You Become the Person You Were Meant to Be
Therapy makes you you. Some people think that they’ll be transformed into a different human being altogether, for better or for worse, if they’re in therapy. This isn’t going to happen, because the CORE of who you are—your very essence—is strong, stable, valuable, and viable.
It’s all the stuff around the core that’s the problem. Therapy addresses the “stuff” so what’s at the core of you has an easier time shining brightly regardless of what’s going on in your life.
You won’t become a different person in therapy; you’ll become the person you were meant to be. And the person you were meant to be is you minus all the anxiety, depression, stress, grief, and burnout.
These things might continue to knock at your door from time to time, but therapy helps you learn how to prevent them from invading your core again. Aren’t you worth that?
I’m an art therapist, and the clients I work with get to track the emergence of their core as it separates from the “stuff”. This is because art therapy leaves behind artifacts of each session in the form of images.
Clients can review the changes in their images and realize how much they’ve begun to shine brightly. This means they get to see themselves becoming THEMSELVES!
Truth #3: Therapy in Austin, TX is Best When It’s Regularly Scheduled
Therapy works best when sessions are scheduled weekly on the same day at the same time. There’s research on this.
Sometimes people think they’ll go to therapy when they feel like it, kind of like only going to a chiropractor when they hurt. But that’s not the best way to approach pain management and prevention, regardless of whether we’re talking about physical or emotional discomfort.
Regular appointments help ensure that nothing gets too far out of whack and sends you backward. The brain is affected by experience, so if you want to create positive shifts in your life and move forward, the best way to do this is to keep having experiences that are targeted to bring you toward your goal. Having these experiences on a sporadic basis doesn’t guarantee that you can build on your previous successes.
Plus the emotionally bothered brain benefits from an uptick in pattern, routine, and structure, so having a regular, weekly therapy appointment in Austin, TX can help calm disturbing feelings. It’s a neuroscience thing.
That’s why I see clients every week on the same day at the same time. While it’s understandable that sometimes clients don’t feel very motivated to attend a session if they’re not in pain, the regularity of our sessions is what helps them live pain-free to start with.
Truth #4: Therapy in Austin, TX Is an Investment in Yourself
Therapy does cost money, though how much you’ll have to pay can vary depending on your situation and the therapist’s situation. Some therapists work for agencies that are funded by grants and charitable contributions, so they can offer their services at a very reduced fee for those who demonstrate financial need.
Therapists who are in private practice generally can’t apply for grants or receive charitable contributions. They can only remain in business by charging a fee that allows them to keep their doors open.
And because each therapist in private practice has a different set of circumstances, their fee isn’t necessarily comparable to the next therapist’s. For example, some therapists provide treatment that involves expensive equipment or supplies. A therapist’s fee needs to take their specific circumstances(s) into account.
In some cases, therapists have decided to work with insurance companies at whatever rates the companies dictate. Not all therapists can keep their doors open on these rates, which are typically low.
Please don’t be deceived by the idea that a low therapy fee equals poor service and a high therapy fee equals outstanding service. You can find good therapists all across the fee spectrum.
It’s more important to think about whether the therapist you’re considering can click with you and help you get from point A to point B. Use your intuition; you’re making an investment in yourself.
Decide what your budget is for therapy and then go shopping for a therapist in Austin, TX, listening to what your gut has to say when you have an initial conversation with one. If you don’t feel a click, thank them for their time and schedule a consultation call with someone else on your list.
I’m like most therapists in Austin, TX; I offer free consultations to verify that I’m a good fit for the person on the other end of the phone. I make sure they understand that I don’t work with insurance companies because I have longer sessions that insurers don’t want to pay for.
Most companies only allow for 45- or 60-minute sessions, while mine are 75 minutes. These longer sessions allow for the sustainment of brain activity that supports flow experiences and the psychological benefits that go along with flow.
Flow is a state of mind that happens when a person is thoroughly engaged in a complex but highly rewarding task, and time flies by while they’re enjoying themself. There’s some exciting research on the advantages of flow in combating burnout, so I charge a fee that lets my clients go with the flow!
Get a Free Therapy Consultation in Austin, TX
I hope the info above will encourage you find your ideal therapist in Austin, TX. If you’re ready to create a better outcome for yourself, contact me for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll explore your goals and how online art therapy can help you transform your vision into reality.
Still unsure if life without anxiety, depression, and stress is for you? Give my About page a read to see how I support people in creating their way out of overwhelm, unhappiness, and burnout so they can live in the light once again.