Amy Bacani, LMFT
Counseling & Psychotherapy in Temecula CA
therapist in temecula therapists
Therapist Temecula Office 951-296-8885
Therapist
Psychotherapy Services in Temecula //
What to Expect
Fees:
Individual Therapy $185
(standard 45-50 min session; $200 for 60 min session)
Couples Therapy $200
Visa, Mastercard, HSA cards, Flexible Spending Accounts Accepted
In-network with Aetna. Other insurances accepted if you have out-of-network benefits
The Therapeutic Process
The first 2-3 sessions are assessment sessions. I usually take notes as I ask you to tell me about what has prompted you to seek therapy. I also ask about your background--family, school, relationships, career, medical issues. I want to find out more about who you are as a person in general, and I want to find out what solutions you have attempted in order to resolve your difficulites.
Beyond the assessment sessions, I tend to have you take the lead in terms of what we discuss. Sometimes this makes people a bit anxious, but I find that it is more productive if the topics flow from you. Clients are sometimes concerned about talking about the "right" things, but I find that if you can just let yourself "ramble," the important themes tend to emerge. My job is then to highlight these and reflect them back to you, offering the opportunity for us to look at them together. This "working through" phase of therapy is the process of teasing apart these themes or conflicts in order to be able to understand yourself better. I typically meet with you 1-2 times per week during this phase of therapy.
The final stage of therapy is termination. This is the time when we review the progress made, and we go through the process of saying goodbye. Short-term therapy usually lasts for a few months, and long-term therapy lasts anywhere from a year to several years. Obviously, the goals of longer-term therapy are more ambitious. Both are useful--it just depends on what you'd like to get out of the process.
I think it is the therapeutic relationship that is the most important aspect of the process. I try my best to create a safe, comfortable space for clients, and I encourage you to ask questions and to give me feedback about your experience in therapy with me. Examining your experience of your relationship with me if often one of the most important parts of understanding yourself better.
Cleaning out the closet
I like to use the analogy that therapy is very much like cleaning out your closet. When you clean out the closet, you have to take out each item, look at it, and evaluate whether or not it's something you want to keep. As you reorganize, you get rid of things that you don't really need anymore, and you make room for new things that will better suit your current life. Just as you get rid of old clothes that no longer fit, you may need to get rid of old ways of thinking and feeling. Old patterns may have "fit" you in the past, but now it's time to let them go.
In the middle of cleaning your closet, things can look even messier than when you started. Therapy can feel this way, too. However, just like when you clean out your closet, you will likely find that therapy is well worth the effort. Just as an organized closet functions more efficiently, a healthy mind offers the opportunity for a more satisfying life.
