The stigma attached to therapy keeps people from addressing the problems that they have with their mental health. Unfortunately, group therapy forces people to discuss their issues in the presence of other people. Individual therapy though, allows people to maintain their privacy as they engage with their therapists.

What Is Individual Therapy?

Individual therapy is a form of talk therapy in which a therapist meets with one client for the purpose of helping the person work out the mental health issues that are troubling him or her. An individual therapy session takes place in an area that can be described as “safe” and “nurturing.” The therapist and the client meet in the therapist’s office for between 45 minutes and one hour.

In the first therapy session, the therapist asks the client questions about his or her chief complaint. At this time, the therapist’s job is to learn everything that he or she can about the client’s main issue. For example, the therapist will ask when the client first began to experience the present problem. The beginning of treatment is also the time that the therapist and the client build rapport and nurture a trusting environment.

Individual therapy is an appropriate treatment for those experiencing difficulties in their lives, but it is commonly known as a treatment for mental health disorders.

The History of Individual Therapy for Mental Health Treatment

Mental health treatment was horrific in the early days. It started out as gloomy and ended with horrifying types of therapy, such as lobotomies, insulin therapy, and confinement in mental asylums. Although these are startling examples of “therapy” for mental health disorders, the industry also invented “talk therapy.”

Sigmund Freud often gets the credit for inventing talk therapy, but it is a treatment that was actually invented by a colleague of Dr. Freud. Joseph Breuer and his patient began to develop a new form of talk therapy beginning in 1880.

Example of Benefit of Individual Therapy for Mental Health Treatment

Anna O. was 21 years old at the time she was experiencing her mental health condition. At that time Anna was also taking care of her ailing father. One day, Anna began to suffer from a cough, and her physician couldn’t diagnose a cause for it. This health condition also caused several other symptoms to present themselves, including difficulties speaking that led her to become mute. After that, she could no longer speak German and began to speak English all of the time.

The death of Anna’s father on top of her health issues caused her mental health condition to decline. Once Anna developed poor mental health, she stopped eating, and her hands and feet became paralyzed. Then, she began to experience involuntary spasms. 

Anna also started to have visual hallucinations and tunnel vision. After specialists were called to examine the cause, they failed to find one.

In addition to her physical symptoms, Anna also suffered from a serious mental health condition. As a result, Anna began to have more daydreams and experience more mood swings. She even tried to commit suicide several times. 

Dr. Breuer diagnosed Anna “hysteria.” Hysteria was an illness that created physical symptoms that did not have a physical cause. Now, this mental health disorder is known as “conversion.”

The Discovery of Individual Therapy for Mental Health Treatment

One evening, Dr. Breuer and Anna discovered a new type of therapy when Anna slipped into “spontaneous hypnosis.” Anna called these moments “clouds.” While the therapy was going on, Dr. Breuer discovered that she was capable of explaining the fantasies that Anna had during the day along with many other of her experiences. After she did this, she always felt better. 

Anna named this type of therapy in which she talked one-on-one with a therapist “the talking cure.” Today, we know this type of therapy as individual therapy. 

During individual therapy, Anna always remembered an event that was particularly emotional, and it would add meaning to the particular symptom she was experiencing at that moment. For example, Anna began to refuse to drink water. 

During her individual therapy session, Anna remembered that a dog drank water from a glass and that a lady drank from the same glass after that. She was disgusted by this memory, but she was able to have her first drink of water after a long period of abstention.

Her individual therapist discovered that the reason Anna was exhibiting these dreams about water was because she was avoiding water. Thus, she was cured after she remembered what caused her to avoid water. Dr. Breuer gave this phenomenon the name “catharsis,” which means “cleansing.”

Individual Therapy for Hysteria

Dr. Freud and Dr. Breuer wrote a book on hysteria. They explained that hysteria results from traumatic experiences, but people have difficulties understanding them. People with hysteria are unable to express the emotions that come from the event, but the emotions remain with them. 

The symptoms that people with hysteria experience are weak expressions of their trauma, and they are meaningful. After the patient becomes aware of what the symptoms mean, the emotions can be released and are no longer symptoms.

Anna’s treatment helped her eliminate each of her physical and mental health symptoms, but she couldn’t have done it without Dr. Breuer. She needed to be in therapy with Dr. Breuer so that she could feel his hands before she uttered a sound. Unfortunately, this therapy did not prevent her from experiencing new symptoms.

As the medical community learned more about mental illness, professionals began to introduce individual therapy to their clients.

Who Is Best Suited for Individual Therapy?

A wide range of people are suited for individual therapy or counseling. Several studies found that individual therapy treatment works well in improving the symptoms of mental disorders.

Medical professionals created individual therapy to treat the following people:

• Someone who experiences extreme emotions
• A person who experiences the death of a loved one or some other trauma
• Someone experiencing an issue with substance abuse
• A person who experiences difficulties at work
• Someone experiencing the loss of all enjoyment in previously enjoyable activities
• A person who experiences difficulties in his or her relationships
• People whose friends or family members are concerned about

When Is the Best Time to Receive Individual Therapy?

The best time to seek individual therapy is when an issue is particularly distressing to you or interferes with your ability to live your life. You may be presenting your distress with negative behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Some people even experience distress as fatigue or pain. 

If you or your loved one are experiencing symptoms of distress such as these, it is very important for you to seek treatment for these issues right away. It is not a good idea to wait until these symptoms are severe. If you begin to notice that you are feeling unhappy a majority of the time, this is also a good time to look into receiving individual therapy. 

Sometimes, people notice that they are experiencing strange sensations. For example, they begin to notice that they are having difficulties concentrating in school or at work. They may even begin to fantasize about hurting themselves or other people. If a person is experiencing such negative thoughts and behaviors, it is definitely a good time to begin to receive individual counseling.

What Are the Benefits of Individual Therapy?

The top benefit of individual therapy may be that the focus is entirely on you during therapy sessions. This does not occur in group therapy, family therapy, or couples therapy. With the focus entirely on you or your loved one, the therapist will be able to concentrate on the issues that are exclusive to you. Then, the therapist has an ample amount of time to develop coping strategies that help you healthily live with the experiences that are currently bothering you.

Individual therapy is an effective treatment for mental health conditions, difficulties in your personal relationships, and substance abuse issues.

The benefits of individual therapy sessions include the following:

• Gives you the ability to develop accurate insights and awareness into your life
• Helps you feel as if you can accomplish your goals
• Helps you tolerate stressful situations
• Improves your communication and socialization skills
• Improves the quality of your life
• Teaches you how to solve problems when you are experiencing hard times
• Helps you learn how to process your feelings and emotions
• Teaches you to feel confident and independent
• Teaches you how to make healthier decisions

What Types of Mental Health Disorders Will Often Need Individual Therapy?

Individual therapy is an excellent treatment for several mental health conditions, including the following:

• Personality disorders
• Addictions and substance abuse
• Schizophrenia
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Eating disorders
• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression

If you are ready to face the mental health problems that you are having, contact us today at Renewed Health. Our customer care professionals will explain everything about the many therapy sessions we can offer to make you or your loved one feel whole again.