Cherry Creek Psychology, Dr. Maximillian Wachtel

One of the benefits of being my own boss is that I can set my own schedule. I work slightly longer hours throughout the week, and then I typically take Fridays off so I can spend the day with my daughter.

Today, however, is one of those days where I need to work. I am scheduled to testify as an expert witness in an Adams County court, and I usually don’t have much control over when hearings are scheduled. So, I am gearing myself up for that this afternoon.

January is typically a fairly slow month for therapists. In November and December, a lot of people start therapy to deal with the upcoming stress of the holidays. By the time January rolls around, many of those people feel a lot better and don’t see the need to continue in therapy (which makes sense…if you can meet with a therapist for a few sessions to work through some temporary stress, there isn’t always much need to continue on after that stress goes away).

The therapy portion of my practice has definitely slowed down a bit this January (which, again, is fine, especially since I know that this is a yearly trend). But, the forensic portion of my practice never seems to slow down. Apparently, crime is not seasonal.

Anyway, I will be working this afternoon. Most likely, so will you. And so will a lot of criminals.

Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (maxwachtel@cherrycreekpsychology.com; www.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)