Cherry Creek Psychology, Dr. Maximillian Wachtel

One of the best cures for anxiety is taking some time off from work and getting out of town. I am about to leave for a quick trip to New Mexico with my family for the holiday weekend.

Have a great Labor Day, and enjoy the extra time off– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.cherrycreekpsychology.com; maxwachtel@cherrycreekpsychology.com) 

I have had a few new clients meet with me recently who have asked the same question: Do I need to be in therapy?

That is a hard question for me to answer. As a psychologist, I truly believe that most people could benefit from meeting periodically with a therapist. It can be helpful to talk with an objective person you trust about what is going on in your life in order to reduce stress, make changes here and there and remain satisfied with the direction in which you are headed. On the other hand, I don’t want to give anyone a “hard sell” on therapy. I am not going to tell someone that she needs to be in therapy if she doesn’t really NEED to be in therapy. I might tell her it could be helpful, but I will also be clear that it is not absolutely essential. I might lose a little business that way, but I would rather be ethical and honest than try to convince everyone who walks in my door that therapy is the only way for them to make positive changes.

So, do you need therapy? I would say you need therapy if you are struggling with something in your life that is truly getting in the way. Is your stress or depression keeping you from performing well at work? Are you using all of your sick leave or are you at risk for losing your job? Do you hate your life? Are you losing friends and alienating yourself from your family? Are you feeling the need to “self-medicate” or numb yourself out with drugs, alcohol or overeating? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might really be in need of therapy to help you break out of your current cycle and get into a more positive frame of mind.

If you answered “no” to all of these questions (and you were truly being honest with yourself), then chances are that you don’t absolutely need to be in therapy. You might still benefit greatly from meeting with an objective, empathic therapist who can help you stay on the right track, though.

In my practice, I see people who need therapy. I also see people who don’t need it but feel like they are benefitting from it anyway. The best part of my job is when I get to witness an individual transform from someone who NEEDS therapy to someone who can do it on their own. Some of those people continue in treatment with me, and others don’t. It is hard to say goodbye to some of those clients, but it is great to see that they have truly benefited from my services.

If you think you NEED therapy, or if you think you are doing okay but could benefit from an objective point of view, feel free to call me at (303) 399-5300 or check out my website at www.CherryCreekPsychology.com.

Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.CherryCreekPsychology.com)

Since it is that time of year again, I thought I would offer some helpful tips to reduce the stress that inevitably comes with the holiday season. The pressure of being surrounded by family (even if your family normally gets along well), the presents, the food, the New Year’s Resolutions…they can all add up and take their toll on your mental well-being. I will offer one tip per day over the next nine days, and I hope you find them helpful. Here is the first one: 1. Try actually talking to your family. As we learned from yesterday’s post, verbalizing your feelings can lead to a decrease in negative emotions. For that reason alone, it can be helpful to talk about your holidy blues with family members. It can also be important for them to understand why you are upset about whatever it is that is bothering you. They can’t read your mind, and as obvious as you think the problem is, others may not see it. If you get angry every year because your family assumes you will be cooking dinner for all 25 of them on Christmas Day, tell them so. They are probably not purposefully making you mad–they might just see the dinner at your house to be a nice family tradition. If you let them know, in a kind way, that you feel they are taking advantage of you and you need a break this year, chances are that they will respond well. At the very least, you will make them aware of your feelings and that will ease some of your holiday stress. In other news, I am heading out to the Denver County Jail this morning to do an evaluation. I need to look at my notes before I go, but I think I remember this being an attempted murder case. With that said, I am debating about what Reducing Holiday Stress Tip #2 should be. I am thinking either: Find Quiet Time For Yourself, or Don’t Spend Time with Those Accused of Attempted Murder. Check back tomorrow to see which one I’ve chosen to write about. Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.CherryCreekPsychology.com)