Holistic psychodynamic counseling is a therapeutic approach that delves deep into the intricacies of the human mind and aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of an individual's emotional and psychological well-being. While this method has gained popularity for its effectiveness, it is not immune to misconceptions and myths. In this article, we'll debunk the five biggest myths of holistic psychodynamic counseling.

1. It's Only About Uncovering Childhood Trauma: One common myth is that psychodynamic counseling focuses solely on uncovering unresolved childhood issues. While this aspect is certainly a part of the process, psychodynamic counseling goes beyond childhood trauma. It aims to explore current patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving, recognizing that our past experiences can influence our present actions.

With inflation and the cost of seemingly everything on the rise, it can be daunting to add a weekly service like counseling. Thankfully, there may be a way for you to get your insurance provider to cover the cost of counseling, making therapy more accessible to those in need. However, navigating the labyrinthine world of insurance claims and reimbursements can be daunting. Enter the "superbill" – a valuable tool that can simplify the process and ensure you get the most out of your insurance coverage for counseling.

What Is a Superbill?

A superbill is a detailed invoice or receipt provided by your therapist or counselor. It contains essential information about your counseling sessions, such as diagnosis codes, session dates, and fees. While out-of-network therapists don't bill insurance directly, they can provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

Picture your favorite room in your favorite place in the world (real or imagined). Does this place have a window? If so, what do you see outside of that window? Maybe it’s huge forest trees towering into a big, blue sky. Maybe it’s a river flowing through grassy knolls, or a beach sweet and salty enough to always have a window open with the breeze blowing through.

Wherever it is, would you want that window to no longer be there? Of course not! That would keep you from seeing the beauty outside of your favorite place. Would you want that window to become a whole opening in your wall for anyone or anything to drift its way in? Probably not. Windows are enjoyable for what they are-a space to see without being overwhelmed by the elements of the outside.

As any parent of a toddler will tell you, parenting young children is not for the faint of heart. Discipline often feels overwhelming. It can feel impossible to regulate your own emotions while also assisting your young child in regulating their own. Throughout my therapeutic work with both adults and children, I’ve noticed a struggle to set limits while maintaining emotional connection with the child. Garry Landreth, founder of the Center for Play Therapy, in his video entitled “Choices, Cookies, and Kids,”outlines a model for setting limits while maintaining emotional attunement. The “A.C.T” model provides three helpful tools for limit-setting.

Therapy is a courageous endeavor and takes a lot of time, commitment, energy, and money! Get the most out of therapy by following these suggestions.

In The Therapy Room: 1) Don’t keep things to yourself. 2) Show your emotions. 3) Don’t expect your therapist to tell you what to do. 4) Have a topic ready. 5) Don’t focus on symptoms.

Outside The Therapy Room: continue reading…

When Taylor Swift said, “Life is emotionally abusive,”¹ might she have been talking about young adulthood? Navigating college and post-grad life can be daunting. No one (as much as they might try) can prepare you for the shock of looking around and realizing that adulthood is just happening to you. You feel like a poser playing dress-up in the corporate world. You’re sitting in a classroom or a boring meeting and realize that it’s making you question your chosen career path. You’re wishing that high school Algebra had been about something more useful, like how to do your taxes or date without getting ghosted.