Can Individual Counseling Really Help Improve My Mental Health?
- Kevin Kenealy
- Sep 17
- 7 min read
More Americans are now seeking therapy than ever before, with upwards of 60 million American adults receiving mental health treatment each year.
One of the most popular types of therapy by far is one-on-one therapy, and for good reasons; it is completely tailored to the individual and is a great way of treating the most comprehensive range of mental health issues and life pressures.
So let’s get into what exactly one-on-one therapy is, who could benefit from one-on-one therapy and what you can expect to get out of individual therapy.
What is one-on-one therapy?
It does just what it sounds like: one-on-one (or “individual”) therapy — also called talk therapy, psychotherapy, and counseling — is designed to give a client and therapist some quality time alone together.
This is as opposed to group therapy, couples therapy and family therapy, where two or more people meet with the therapist at the same time.
One-on-one therapy occurs when your therapist meets with you (either in person or through teletherapy) on a regular basis to help your work through a range of challenges (or “issues”) that you may be having in your life, including: mental illnesses, stress, grief or any one of life’s gazillion stressful aspects.
The primary objective of individual psychotherapy is to help you better understand your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors, and how they all influence and affect one other. Therapists employ a variety of methods to help take you on this journey first and then teach you how to best deal with and/or alter negative thoughts and behavior.
In what ways does individual therapy differ from other therapy?
Private therapy is entirely and exclusively about you.
That doesn’t mean you won’t focus on other people in your life or your relationships. But the emphasis is on examining your thoughts, behavior, beliefs and past experiences and why you think and behave as you do and why it might incline you toward a specific type of act or toward a relationship.
Group, family, or couples therapy, on the other hand, often addresses specific issues or sources of tension. Couples therapy can be REALLY beneficial in cases like this, because everyone can tell their side together, and the therapist can (hopefully) take a less biased view.
But those troubled with relationships or family issues often find individual therapy helpful in conjunction with family or couples therapy, because that’s where they can go deep, deep into their own psyche to figure out why they think or react the way they do.
Although all therapy is good teaching, the one-on-one is the closest to personal and the most all-encompassing.
Here are multiple advantages of individual psychotherapy, explained one-by-one:
Tailored, custom therapy
All one-on-one therapy is tailored 100% to you and to your particular challenges and aspirations and the therapist will adapt your treatment to suit you.
However, most people do have several (often connected) problems, and you’ll be able to explore them all in much more depth – and in a more joined-up way – in one-to-one therapy, where your therapist can adjust their way of doing things according to how things are going for you.
Undivided attention
The only person your therapist focus on is you; therefore, people generally find it much easier to open up, explore topics more deeply, and build a powerful relationship with their therapist.
Safe, supportive, non-judgemental atmosphere
Trust is a major key to opening up the healing process in therapy" "Your relationship with your therapist will be a space where you feel safe, comfortable and supported, but in a professional and private environment.
It enables you to be 100% honest and unapologetically open, without any worry and not feeling embarrassed but still get expert advice, emotional support, and practical help in return.
Confidentiality and privacy
Both can be hard to discuss with others, but with individual therapy you have the greatest privacy as your therapist will not discuss the contents of your sessions and you with anyone else and is bound by professional and ethical guidelines to maintain confidentiality.
Take it at your own pace: There are no “rules” about how long you go to individual therapy. With individual therapy you are free to progress at your own pace, whether that be slow or fast.
Open scheduling
With just you and your therapist, you no longer need to coordinate around others’ schedules, and can book sessions as you wish.
New, fresh and non-biased perspective
While friends and family want the best for you, they may advise or reflect based on their experiences. They’re not supposed to, and can assist in allowing you to see things in a completely unbiased, scientific, evidence-based way that is very, very illuminating.
Discover root causes you didn’t know existed: One-on-one therapy is so individualized and provides the opportunity for us to dig into our stuff and discover issues we never knew we had that are contributing to what we are currently struggling with.
Acquire coping skills and strategies
Therapy is all about picking up tools and skills that enable you to deal with the relentless punches that life throws — and individual therapy allows your therapist to make sure that these are just right for you.
Helps you to have better relationships with others
Be it family, friends or colleagues, when you get a clearer picture of who you are, it would help you better connect with other people.
Personal development and self-discovery
In individual therapy, you have the opportunity to strengthen and create more personal self-awareness, as well as your thoughts, feelings, values, and goals. And as to your journey through particular challenges and obstacles, you’ll also find those strengths and resilience, which is so empowering.
Emotional Support
Life can become incredibly overwhelming and very hard at times — to have the comfort of a supportive person in your life, one who does not only offer you support and has empathy, understanding, validation, but has the tools to help you work through your shit [problems] productively, is no small thing.
How to get the most from individual therapy
For it to work, therapy should be a collaborative effort, which includes your active involvement and a commitment to making the most of your sessions time and time again.
Whether you’re meeting with a psychologist, psychiatrist or a licensed counselor, there are some things you can do to maximize your one-on-one sessions:
Be open and honest and willing to discuss tough topics
This is what’s going to help you the most in therapy! Also, keep in mind that it’s entirely safe, private, and free of judgment.
Get involved
Make an effort to always do any “homework” or suggestions your therapist gives you and be receptive to experimenting with new techniques.
Adhere to your regimen
When it comes to attending your sessions and your therapist, have faith.
Be patient with yourself
It’s understandable if you feel emotional or overwhelmed at some point while you’re going to therapy. Give yourself permission to feel how you feel and give yourself time to process your feelings. Just remember you’re in no hurry, and you can take things at your own pace when it comes to individual therapy.
Ask questions
Never hesitate to question your therapist or tell him or her your concerns about the therapy itself. They are there for you to access as and when you need and it’s important that you feel safe and completely at easy and at one with whatever your therapeutic journey will be.
The different types of individual psychotherapy
Therapy is incredibly varied in specialisms and approaches and one to one therapy is no different.
There are many different types of professionals who can provide therapy and just as many types of talk therapy, each with its own set of techniques and frameworks.
It will depend on your individual needs and the therapist or practice you contact will be able to advise you on that.
And there are still plenty of people who think of therapy as the thing you do when you have some sort of mental health problem. But the truth is that we can all use therapy and particularly one-on-one therapy.
One-on-one therapy can help with:
Any mental health issue/illness, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, paranoia, eating disorders, behavioral and emotional disorders, and the list goes on.
Life issues, including life transitions, grief, divorce, crisis, stress, addictions and substance abuse, among others.
It is also a chance for self-discovery, for creating life-long resilience and coping strategies, and for receiving emotional support.
The bottom line: single therapy can help just about everyone to gain a better sense of mental and emotional well-being.
How to get started with individual therapy
You can start by talking to your regular doctor; they can typically refer you to a suitable therapist. You could also ask your insurance company for names of those covered under your plan.
If you have had personal recommendations, or have found a therapist you like the look of by other means, you can also get in touch with them directly to find out if, and how, they can help.
It is vital that any therapist with whom you work has the proper expertise and qualifications to offer the kind of care you are seeking.
You should also strongly bond with your therapist – as the relationship that forms between the two of you is very much part of why the treatment will work for you. Finding the “perfect” therapist may take a couple of goes, so if you begin working with a therapist and feel they aren’t right for you, don’t be afraid to move on.
We have a very large clinical team of therapists at Healthy Families of Albuquerque whether you choose to visit our Albuquerque or Rio Rancho office, or receive teletherapy from us. That means we’ve got the right specialists for each person’s distinctive needs.
If you’re a resident of New Mexico, contact us to schedule a free counseling consultation with our intake specialists, who will tell you more about the kinds of therapy we offer and refer you to any available therapists who are a great fit for you.
We understand it can be a little scary to begin a counseling journey, but it is also a brave and empowering decision toward caring for your mental health and overall well-being, and we will be there with you every step of the way.
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