Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do I need psychotherapy?

    Everyone occasionally feels overwhelmed. Sometimes new things come up, or you get stuck, or other people in your life cite a problem that needs addressing. Other times, you know you have felt badly for too long about something. That’s when psychotherapy is a good idea. Seeking a sounding board, a coach, a counselor is a way to work through what is causing stress, sadness or fear in your life. If you’ve hit a wall, often a competent listener can find a way through, over, or around that wall, especially if that wall involves self-esteem, relationships, depression or anxiety.

  • What kind of therapy should I have?

    That depends on what you need and what kind of challenges you are facing. There is no one-size-fits-all. Your own work with me may involve behavior therapy and analysis or couples therapy. You may need family therapy, or referral for body work, or art and music therapy. You may need group therapy or a self-help group. You get to decide based upon your needs, your situation, and input from me during your initial assessment.

  • What happens at the initial assessment?

    At the initial assessment we spend an hour and a half together. It’s as if we are considering a cross-country driving trip together.  Before we go, let’s meet to make sure we agree on the route and how we will proceed. And let’s plan on having some fun along the way! Based upon your presenting challenges and how you wish to proceed, we decide about the process of change and how you need support.

  • How long are sessions?

    After the initial assessment, the time typically spent together for each session is just under an hour.

  • Can’t I just get my physician to prescribe medication for me?

    Yes, you can. But you don’t have to feel better to be better. Let’s review what has worked for you in the past or how you are currently partnered with health practitioners. There are lots of good studies about psychotherapy and medication and how both are effective for some problems, yet with other problems, not so much. We can go over that. Even though medication may help in the near term or even the long term or help with part of what you are facing, it often won’t address the underlying issue. If medication can help, you and I will work with your other health partners (prescribing physician, nurse practitioner, psychopharmacologist) to achieve the optimal outcome for you.

  • Is this all about dwelling on the past and rehashing old problems?

    No. Thinking about the past is only a small part of this work. Events from your past do come up, because everyone relies on the past to make the present and create a future. Your past is the best predictor of your future. Even so, in this work you go at your own pace. Out of that discovery you may explore areas in the past to learn things about yourself. There are many ways to approach this discovery; however, reliving your past is not necessary. What is necessary is a functional understanding of how your past influences your present and colors the future.

  • I don’t like burdening others with my problems; shouldn’t I be able to just work this out on my own?

    It’s unfortunate that there still remains a stigma in some peoples’ mind about seeing a psychotherapist. We should all be so lucky to have a friend or family member who can listen and see things enough from our our perspective to get where we are and help us make changes. Occasionally, however, having a shoulder to lean on or someone to hear you out is not enough. It makes all the difference in the world to have someone with more training and objectivity to help us recognize the patterns that are shaping our lives and how to make healthy changes in those patterns.

  • How long does it take?

    Everyone is different. There is no correct answer or set formula. Your situation is unique to you; sometimes a short course of intervention, just two or three sessions, is sufficient to make a behavioral change. In other cases, months and years are invested in an in-depth discovery of you and the conflicts in your world. Many peoples’ lives have changed through the course of psychotherapy; I have seen and experienced it myself. You are in charge of the healing and adapting discovery of change in your life; you decide how long that takes.

  • What’s the cost and can I use my insurance?

    The cost is determined at the time of the initial consultation and determined by the family income, the number of people in your family, and how you will use insurance. Darden Bynum Psychotherapy is a fee-for-service practice but provides documentation for insurance after the fees are paid.

  • What about calls, text or emails?

    Short calls (less than 10 minutes), texts and emails are part of connecting and staying connected in the psychotherapeutic experience. Skype, iChat and extended telephonic appointments are available as well.