. The American Psychological Association Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice (2006) reads,

• Psychotherapy is a change process that is designed to provide symptom relief, personality change, prevention of future symptomatic episodes, and increase the quality of life, including the promotion of adaptive functioning in work and relationships, the ability to make healthy and satisfying life choices, and other goals arrived at in the collaboration between client/patient and psychotherapist.

   Individual psychotherapy is a collaborative arrangement between the two of us. As I mentioned earlier in my Office Practices Brochure, your first sessions are evaluative so I can assess your needs, we can decide if we are a good match, you can determine if I meet your needs, and if we agree to work together, we can decide together on a clear treatment plan and approach that is best for you.

     As you can see from the definition above, psychotherapy can be designed to provide a wide range of options, including symptom relief and prevention, personality change, and a broad range of other goals to increase the quality of your life. We can work together on many goals, depending on what you want to focus on.