Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, the approach of the clinician, and the particular problems you are experiencing. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on the part of the patient. For therapy to be the most successful, patients will be asked to apply strategies learned in therapy to other areas of life. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings in and after sessions like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have many benefits. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress.

Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist, Psychiatric Nurse, Licensed Psychiatric Associate…there are a lot of similar terms in our field! In a nutshell, a psychologist has achieved a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D.) studying the science of human behavior. A psychologist is required to earn a doctorate, and as such have one of the highest levels of education in mental health care. They often surpass ten years of education, in addition to post-doctoral work under supervision to meet rigorous licensing requirements. Many do not know this, but the National Science Foundation classifies psychology at this level as a STEM discipline. This is due to doctoral training emphasizing scientific foundations and applications of psychological understanding; in a nutshell, there is a lot of science to our art! Additionally, psychologists are uniquely trained in both psychotherapy and psychological assessment.

Psychological evaluation is a large part of a psychologist’s training. Licensed Psychological Associates (LPAs) also uniquely receive psychological testing training, which is not a part of most masters-level mental health training program and licenses. Simply stated, a psychological evaluation involves clinical interviewing, review of collateral data, and various forms of psychological testing which is determined by the referral reason. Anyone who begins the psychological evaluation process with Dr. Stanley hears the same statement: that she dislikes the term “psychological testing” as it is innately anxiety provoking. To simplify the process: clinical interviewing involves asking questions to a client and others if applicable (e.g., parents, medical providers, etc.) regarding psychosocial history and current concerns/impairment. A testing plan is created by Dr. Stanley to assess the clinical concern. This sometimes includes responding to true/false questions, rating scales, and various interactive tasks. Any appropriate collateral data is reviewed, such as medical and therapy records. These pieces of information and reviewed and interpreted, and a clinical evaluation report is written. These reports typically range from 10-20 pages, depending on the reason for referral. This information is typically used to aid in diagnosis and planning treatment or other services. Many evaluations are able to be completed completely virtually, although some require portions if in-person testing. These specifications will be communicated to you when booking.

As a mental health clinic, we are inherently biased...but we believe just about anybody can benefit from therapy! Whether you are going through a difficult life stressor, have ongoing concerns, or want to develop insight into yourself, therapy can be of great assistance. We all struggle at times, and therapy can help you navigate a variety of life issues.

This is a difficult question to answer. In our field, sometimes people begin experiencing symptoms relief simply by contacting a provider and making an appointment; that is, knowing help is coming has an impact itself. Other patients describe relief after the first session, once they get an initial read on if provider is a good fit for them. As far as improvement once treatment begins, this largely depends on symptom severity and other factors of a patient’s clinical presentation. As a general estimate, most patients will report some improvement within ten sessions, and many significantly earlier. However, therapy can be an ongoing process for months or even years, depending on the patient’s needs and wants, as progress continues.

Self-help options can be beneficial, no doubt. However, these forms of media are based on someone else’s journey, experiences, and interpretations. Although these can be enlightening, a massive limitation is that they are not generalizable to everyone. If you have read a self-help book before, you likely had several things that resonated with you, but many other suggestions that were discarded for not being applicable. Although self-help books and various forms of mental health media can be beneficial, these are best used in conjunction with therapy rather than as a substitute for!

Should a mental health emergency occur, immediate intervention is required. Not only is crisis management a piece of a patient's treatment when indicated, but they should also be aware of options during potential mental health emergencies: - If suicidal, call 911 or report to the emergency room immediately - 988 is the national suicide and crisis lifeline, available 24/7 During any suicide/crisis intervention, the individual should be continuously observed and not be left alone until professionally assessed and recommendations provided. Importantly, Stanley Psychology is an outpatient clinic and does not utilize on-call providers. As such, although we would like to be notified when our patients experience a crisis, this notification should only occur after emergent help is sought and the patient is stabilized.

Thank you for your interest! Dr. Stanley supervises all practicum students directly; please call the office or email her directly to initiate the interview process (dr.stanley@stanleypsychology.com). If you want to talk to current practicum students to inquire about their experiences, feel free to contact them- email addresses can be found by their profile in the “About” section. Please note Dr. Stanley does not accept psychiatric nurse practitioner students for practicum due to requirements and office limitations.