Clinical Psychologist • Madrid • 28014

Frequently asked questions

— Most frequently people start looking for therapy when they have a specific problem in their personal life or when they experience one of various symptoms. including anxiety, depression, mood fluctuations, irritability, guilt, low self-esteem. Even though the symptoms are being addressed during your treatment, the final result of a long-term successful therapy may bring overall improvement of quality of life. You may start your therapy from addressing very specific problems moving forward to the enhanced ability to enjoy your everyday life, interactions with other people or time by yourself.

— I have been working with people experiencing the following problems:
depression, anxiety, eating disorders, alcohol addiction, compulsive behavior, low self-esteem, loneliness and social isolation, difficulty in relationships with a partner, children or parents, sleeping disorders, history of trauma (PTSD, physical or sexual abuse)

— It is hard to estimate in advance how long it will take to achieve the expected results. Unfortunately, to come back to the healthy patterns, a considerable period of time may be required. It is worth mentioning that the longer the problem exists, the more time might be required to address it. However, you should be able to notice positive changes within first 1-2 months of therapy. If you don't feel any dynamic, it has to be discussed with the therapist.

— It is essential for better treatment progress to keep the date and time of the sessions without changes. It helps you to create a safe stable environment for self-investigation. The minimal recommended frequency of sessions is once per week with 50 min length. It has been proved by the results of different treatment approaches that less frequent sessions don't make it possible to achieve the expected progress. It may be more efficient to start with 2-3 sessions per week. Though it will require from you more considerable commitment, the higher frequency of sessions may help you achieve your results more quickly.

— I am not on any insurance panel, though I am applying the sliding scale. Please read more about the reduced fees in the section Fees.

— I have seen many people who were able to improve without medication, though in particular cases prescriptions will be required. If you are already visiting a psychiatrist and have prescriptions, you will need to discuss your ongoing therapy with him or her. I may also recommend that you make an appointment with other specialists, such as psychiatrist, nutritionist, gynecologist, GP, endocrinologist, should I consider that teamwork might be required. The final decision about scope of treatment always remains yours.

— If you feel that you are not achieving the expected progress in your therapy or you have any doubts, it is fine to raise this question during one of your sessions. After you have discussed the issue with the therapist, you may contact another mental health specialist for counselling.

— I encourage keeping the date and time of therapy consistent, because it helps most people bring structure into their life, which has many positive effects. From the other side, I may have limited ability to offer you a different time slot during the week. Usually I ask my clients to limit the number of reschedulings up to once per month, should it be caused by personal or professional obligations. It does not coincide with the cancellation policy, which you may read about in the Fees section.

— It is better to raise this question with the therapist during your session once it has appeared. It may be important to discuss it as soon as possible because it may be an important element of the treatment process. It may be important for you to revise the results and goals with the therapist before termination.

— I may address short emergency calls between the sessions should they be connected with the important matters which considerably influence your emotional and psychological status and which may not be delayed until the upcoming meeting. You may need to remember that I may have another appointment at that moment, so your call may be answered with a delay.

— There are periods during the year when both you and your therapist may have holiday breaks. If possible, it is better to discuss in advance with your therapist what periods of the year you are considering for winter / summer vacations. The total amount of breaks usually doesn't exceed 2 months during the entire period of the year, which means 10 active months of therapy as a minimum.

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