Dr Pat Welcomes You to Psychotherapy

Anticipating psychotherapy can be hard. Sometimes it is painful to ask for help. However, everyone lives through stressful events. Periods of increased stress, including illness, chronic pain, financial losses, and bad relationship breakups, affect our internal resources for coping.

With prolonged stress comes bodily issues—poor sleep, appetite changes, weight gain or loss, headaches, intestinal difficulties. The goal of psychotherapy is to enhance internal resources (self-support) and external resources (secure relationships). A therapist’s job is to listen thoroughly and help to re-set those needed resources. All individuals have an Attachment Style. Having a safe Attachment Style is an over-arching therapy goal. Therapy assists you to recognize your Attachment Style and to use it/or change it for healthier relationships. While the pursuit of love is universal, exposing ourselves to the vulnerabilities of finding that needed someone can be troubling. Your history and experience with intimate relationships help to find patterns of relating that may be causing the trouble. Self-protective modes of relating are essential, but sometimes contain hidden ‘triggers’ for anxiety, distrust, over-dependence, and avoidance of others. Therapy provides the space, with privacy, to examine these hidden anxieties, then practice positive experiences.

Dr Pat is located in Mission Valley, San Diego, at the juncture of California Highways 5 & 8. 1545 Hotel Circle South, Mission Grove Building, Suite 250, San Diego, 92108. She can be reached at (619) 296-9781 or emailed at: [email protected]. Click here to be connected to the office telephone.

Office hours are (in person) Monday through Thursday, 9–5. Telehealth can be arranged. You are welcome to call for a 15-minute free consultation regarding therapy start up.