Licensed individual therapists are very different from the stereotypical film version of a therapist who sits formally behind a desk, silently scribbling notes as a patient lies on a bench and talks. At FHE Health in Deerfield Beach, South Florida, your therapist will be a guiding partner who helps you create positive change in your life, develop or sustain good habits and learn new, constructive patterns of thinking. When you start one-on-one therapy for addiction, you’ll join millions of Americans who want to find relief from their symptoms and receive a fresh outlook on life.
- Individual therapy is one-on-one counseling between you and a licensed therapist, typically delivered in weekly 45–60 minute sessions over at least 16 weeks.
- Sessions are private and confidential, with HIPAA protections and only narrow legal exceptions.
- Common methods used in individual therapy include CBT, DBT and EMDR, and your therapist tailors the approach to your needs.
- Individual therapy fits well for people who prefer privacy, are processing trauma or complex issues, are new to therapy or have specific personal goals.
- At FHE Health, individual counseling is woven into both addiction treatment and our mental health services track, and combines with group therapy and holistic services.
What Is Individual Therapy?
Individual therapy involves meeting one-on-one with a therapist to discuss your problems, symptoms and goals. This allows you to explore your past and reframe your thought patterns in a safe, confidential and non-judgmental environment.
What to Expect in Individual Therapy
In individual therapy, one patient and one therapist work together in weekly 45-minute to one-hour sessions over a sustained period of time, typically at least 16 weeks. This ongoing, one-on-one therapeutic relationship is designed to help a patient make long-lasting, positive changes in their life. With the therapist’s support and gentle guidance, patients are encouraged to speak freely during sessions about their current life struggles, fears and emotions.
To help people feel safe discussing their intimate personal events, thoughts and feelings, all individual therapy sessions are private and confidential. Additionally, depending on their specific training and the patient’s needs, the therapist may employ one or more methods of therapy. Potential methods include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Areas of focus may cover addiction recovery, improving relationships, emotional regulation and processing trauma.
Structure of Individual Therapy
The First Session
When a person first begins individual therapy, the therapist will dedicate time to getting to know as much about the patient as possible. The therapist may ask questions about the patient’s mental and physical health histories, family members and other close relationships, job history, significant life events and more.
The therapist also asks about the areas in which the patient has concerns or struggles and hopes to improve. The therapist will explain their treatment methods and counseling style, and the new patient can ask any questions that come to mind.
Because it’s important that the patient feels comfortable with the therapist, the first one or two therapy sessions are also good times to decide if the therapist’s personality, communication style and areas of expertise feel like a good match. If not, the therapist may be able to provide recommendations for a professional who may be a better fit.
Once the therapist has learned about the patient’s needs and the patient feels comfortable progressing with therapy, the two will create a plan that can include setting treatment goals, session frequency and how they’ll track progress.
Ongoing Sessions
Often in sessions, while the therapist may prompt the patient and ask questions, the patient will do most of the talking. The therapist may take opportunities to challenge negative thoughts and give the patient the space to feel and express their emotions in a safe environment. Because new situations are likely to arise within the patient’s life as therapy progresses, sessions are also typically flexible to allow people to discuss their most pressing events and struggles.
Over time, sessions may also include any of the following:
- Practicing grounding, breathing and mindfulness exercises
- Completing homework such as journaling and worksheet assignments
- Practicing positive self-talk
- Roleplaying
- Learning to set boundaries
- Strengthening relationships
- Finding healthy, creative outlets to express emotions
- Developing alternative coping skills to drug addictions or other self-defeating behaviors
Methods of One-on-One Therapy
There are multiple types of one-to-one therapy. Your therapist may use one or more of the following techniques, depending on your needs and goals.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a method of talk therapy that explores the connections between a patient’s thoughts and actions. In CBT, a therapist dedicates time to helping patients uncover and examine any negative thoughts they may have that, in turn, negatively affect their behaviors and the way they interact with the world.
For instance, a person may make a mistake at work or not get the promotion they were hoping for. If negative, self-defeating thoughts such as “I’m no good” or “I don’t deserve that, anyway” arise, so may feelings of sadness or anger. In an attempt to escape from these feelings, a person may turn to food, alcohol or drugs.
Through CBT, a trained therapist uses functional analysis and skills training to help patients recognize and then reframe thoughts like these, making way for more positive feelings and healthier behaviors.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Through dialectical behavior therapy, therapists help patients use mindfulness and other techniques to better understand and regulate their emotions, cope with traumatic events and improve their relationships. Therapists use DBT in one-on-one therapy by helping patients identify harmful behaviors and learn new problem-solving skills to replace these behaviors with positive, productive ones.
EMDR
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is sometimes integrated with individual therapy as a way to help people quickly heal from past traumatic events and better cope with current difficulties. Therapists use a combination of external stimuli and an eight-phase approach where patients focus on specific memories of trauma, process those memories and begin to replace negative feelings with positive beliefs.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing uses open-ended questions, such as “Why do you want to change?” or “What seems to be holding you back?”, that guide patients toward their own reasons for change without telling them what to do. This helps patients recover while empowering them to make their own decisions and challenging the thought processes that contributed to their substance use disorder.
Trauma-Focused and Other Approaches
Trauma-focused therapy is a compassionate approach that helps people work through past trauma without contributing to their pain or guilt. Therapists work with patients at their own pace and take breaks whenever needed. Common trauma-focused techniques include journaling, exposure therapy, CBT and EMDR.
On a similar note, FHE Health takes each patient’s background, history, culture, religion and other aspects into consideration as we develop a treatment plan. This allows us to approach difficult topics with sensitivity and understanding, and it encourages our patients to build trust with our professionals.
What Individual Therapy Treats
Individual therapy at FHE Health treats a wide range of conditions, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, personality disorders, trauma, schizophrenia and ADHD. Typically, we offer individual therapy as part of a co-occurring disorders program that also treats substance use disorders. If you don’t see your condition on this list, reach out to see if we offer treatment.
Individual Therapy vs. Group Therapy
One-on-one therapy for addiction allows you to talk privately to a therapist in a confidential setting. Conversely, group therapy involves talking to a therapist alongside a group of fellow patients with similar conditions. While individual therapy makes it easier to open up and discuss intimate topics, group therapy allows you to learn from others and realize that you’re not alone. FHE Health typically includes individual and group therapy in our treatment programs so that our patients get the benefits of both.
Benefits of Individual Counseling
While people can connect with and learn from others who share similar experiences in group counseling, individual counseling gives patients focused, one-on-one attention from their therapist.
These are some of individual counseling’s many benefits:
- One-on-one therapy sessions are private. While you may not always feel comfortable or have time in group therapy to talk about certain thoughts, feelings or experiences, individual counseling sessions may give you the comfort, freedom and space to do so.
- Individual psychotherapy is confidential. Therapists are bound by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws of confidentiality, with the only possible exceptions being state laws that determine when a therapist must report a patient’s neglect of a child or elder or serious intent to harm themselves or others.
- It’s all about you. With more time to focus solely on you and your needs than in a group therapy session, the therapist can tailor your treatment plan specifically to you.
- You can develop a closer relationship with your therapist than you would in a group therapy setting. This can also foster a deeper sense of trust toward your therapist.
When Is Individual Therapy the Right Choice?
Whether individual therapy is right for you depends on your situation and preferences. It could be a good fit if you feel more comfortable with a one-to-one approach or need support tailored to a specific target.
Consider individual therapy if:
- You prefer privacy. Individual therapy can be helpful for people who feel more comfortable discussing personal or challenging issues one-on-one.
- You need help with complex or sensitive problems. Working one-to-one with a therapist may be more suitable for those dealing with trauma, severe mental health problems or highly complex personal circumstances.
- You’re exploring therapy for the first time. If you’re new to therapy, one-to-one sessions can provide a comfortable introduction before exploring group sessions or other treatment types.
- You have a specific goal in mind. Individual therapy provides personalized support when you want to target a particular challenge or behavior pattern.
Determining the right therapy option for you is deeply personal. The highly qualified professionals at FHE Health can help you make the most suitable choice for your needs and treatment goals.
How to Get the Most Out of Therapy
To start, aim to arrive about 10-15 minutes early to give yourself time to fill out paperwork. Make sure you bring your insurance card and a list of medications that you’re taking. Your first session may involve a psychological evaluation, so prepare yourself to answer questions about your current symptoms, past trauma and family history.
Occasionally, your therapist may ask probing questions that help them understand your life situation and develop a treatment plan. It’s important to be honest and answer these questions to the best of your ability. At the same time, it’s okay to tell your therapist that you feel uncomfortable or need to take a break. Your therapist should create a safe, non-judgmental space that doesn’t push you before you’re ready.
At times, your counselor may give you homework to complete. To get the most out of therapy, make sure you complete these tasks even if they seem insignificant. Practicing therapeutic techniques outside of the office will help you set boundaries, look at situations objectively and deal with conflicts on your own.
When your sessions feel stalled, let your therapist know that you feel like you’re not making any progress. They might be able to point out positive changes that you hadn’t noticed or try new techniques that accelerate your progress. Keep in mind that it’s normal for everyone to feel stalled once in a while, and not every session results in major breakthroughs.
Individual Counseling at FHE Health
At FHE Health, we believe that successful addiction and mental health treatment involves caring for the whole person. For over two decades, our dual-accredited programs have supported a diverse range of individuals to enjoy happier, healthier lives.
When you start treatment at our South Florida clinic, our multidisciplinary team will design a personalized, responsive program to meet your medical, psychological and social needs. Our board-approved psychiatrists, certified therapists and other highly trained professionals collaborate to deliver evidence-based treatments to address the root cause of substance use disorders and facilitate long-term recovery.
Individual counseling is an important part of FHE Health’s comprehensive addiction treatment program and a vital component of residential and outpatient treatment in the program’s continuum of care. Additionally, we provide individual counseling as part of our mental health services track, supporting recovery from anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD and more. Depending on your needs, individual treatment can combine with group therapy and our holistic care services to enhance your well-being.
