General Psychotherapy

The “medical model” (i.e., diagnose and treat) does not always work well in therapy. Sometimes it makes sense to seek therapy for life situations or problems that don’t involve a diagnosis. Common examples include grief & loss, divorce, career change, and low sense of purpose (to name only a few).

A useful distinction between psychological treatment and general psychotherapy (aka supportive psychotherapy) was made by an influential psychologist named David Barlow. Essentially, psychological treatments are interventions designed for specific diagnoses, whereas general psychotherapy is a less structured, growth-oriented process not directed at alleviating a particular set of symptoms.

I believe that both psychological treatment and general psychotherapy are important, and I provide both to my clients.

If you’re unsure if your situation would be helpful to discuss in therapy, please contact me by phone, or email, or schedule a free consultation.