Our Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, CA
At Crossroads Institute, we provide a full range of psychotherapy services for all common conditions, such as anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and adjustment to life events. Our belief is that by increasing self-knowledge, we make better choices that lead to a happier life and that psychotherapy deepens our understanding of ourselves and relationships. We value compassion, and we believe that the most important elements of effective psychotherapy are respecting your privacy and values and providing a safe environment for the work to unfold.
What is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is a general term used to describe a range of talk therapies used in the treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral issues by mental health providers. During a session, individuals explore their moods, feelings, behaviors, and thoughts in order to respond more effectively to challenging and triggering situations.
What to Expect from Psychotherapy
Each of our psychotherapists brings a unique set of experience and expertise, allowing us to provide a full range of effective psychotherapy services for all age groups and concerns. In your first session, your mental health provider will seek to establish an initial understanding of your current and historical concerns. You can also use this time to gain a better understanding of the type of therapy you will engage in and ask questions about long-term goals. You and your mental health professional will develop an ongoing plan for treatment designed to provide you with actionable tools for mental health and wellness.
What are the Goals of Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy seeks to provide individuals experiencing emotional difficulties and mental health issues with the tools they need to transform their lives in the long term and eliminate or control troubling symptoms. High-level goals of psychotherapy include getting to know yourself better, alleviating emotional strain and conflict, and developing a more comprehensive understanding of your psychological drivers in order to develop effective coping mechanisms.
Types of Psychotherapy Approaches at Crossroads Institute
At Crossroads Institute, our mental health professionals can help you develop a tailored approach to your unique needs. Each therapist brings their own specialty, and the therapy modalities provided include psychodynamic therapy, culturally sensitive therapy, spiritually supportive therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), mindfulness, internal family systems (IFS), trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT), strength-based, attachment-based therapy, among others.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on the unconscious processes that manifest as mental health symptoms in the patient. By leveraging self-examination and self-reflection to identify and address these root processes, patients can achieve the self-awareness needed to understand how the past can impact the present. The therapist-patient relationship is sometimes used as a way to identify negative relationship patterns in a patient’s other relationships. The overall goal of this form of talk therapy is to help individuals live healthier lives and maintain better relationships.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a mindfulness-based approach that has been shown to be effective in treating many mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, substance abuse, and eating disorders. ACT is based on the idea that it is not our thoughts or emotions that cause us distress, but our relationship with them. By learning to be more present and accepting of our thoughts and feelings, we can reduce our suffering and live more fully in the present moment.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a form of talk therapy that can help patients manage mental health issues by changing patterns in behavior and thinking. CBT is based on several core ideas, including the principle that psychological problems are based on unhelpful thoughts and learned patterns of behavior. By learning to recognize distortions in thought and behavior, individuals can employ more effective coping mechanisms and gain a clearer understanding of their own abilities and capacity for change.
Mindfulness Therapy
Mindfulness therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps people to be more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and actions in the present moment. It can be used to treat anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Mindfulness therapy involves a therapist guiding a person through mindfulness exercises, such as mindfulness meditation. The goal of mindfulness therapy is to help a person become more aware of their thoughts and feelings so they can manage them in a more effective way.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal family systems (IFS) is a form of therapy that focuses on the idea that we each have a “self” which is made up of different parts. These parts can be in conflict with each other, and this can cause problems in our lives. IFS therapy is designed to help us heal these internal conflicts so that we can live more peaceful, fulfilling lives.
Virtual Psychotherapy
Crossroads Institute also offers virtual psychotherapy sessions for those who choose to have sessions in the comfort of their home. Our virtual therapy providers conduct all sessions with the utmost attention to patient privacy, ensuring the safest and most supportive virtual environments possible.
Who Can Benefit from Psychotherapy?
At Crossroads Institute, we provide therapy to individuals, couples, and families, and work with children, adolescents, college students, and adults. We also provide adjunctive services, such as EMDR and targeted treatment that is based on HRV biofeedback for insomnia and test anxiety, among other anxiety conditions.
Psychotherapy can help individuals with a variety of mental health conditions and emotional or behavioral difficulties. Conditions treated include:
- Anxiety disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Eating disorders
- Relationship issues
- Depression
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Childhood trauma
- Behavioral problems in children and adolescents
Psychotherapy FAQ
Research has shown that psychotherapy is effective for a wide range of behavioral and mental health issues, delivering a larger effect than many medical treatment alternatives. One reason psychotherapy is so effective is that it focuses on teaching individuals life skills and providing them with tools that they can employ throughout their lives.
While counseling and psychotherapy share some commonalities, there are important differences between the two interventions. Both approaches include evaluating, diagnosing, and treating mental health conditions, but counseling typically involves a shorter treatment cycle and does not address chronic symptoms. In contrast, psychotherapy takes a long-term approach, identifying historical triggers and emotional issues and providing individuals with tools that can serve them throughout their lives.
Psychotherapy Near Los Angeles, California
Crossroads Institute offers comprehensive mental health services in the Greater Los Angeles area and beyond. To get started, contact the Crossroads team at a location near you today, please click on the link below to get started.