Psychotherapy with Adults
Dr. Alter’s treatment philosophy:
- Confidentiality is absolutely protected.
- Psychotherapy involves a warm, safe, nonjudgmental relationship.
- I embrace human differences, and understand the importance of exploring issues affecting particular cultural and religious groups, as well as the LGBT community.
I believe that most problems involve difficulties maintaining a personal sense of integrity and wholeness across life’s stresses. As such, treatment focuses on impediments to self esteem and the ability to manage the painful emotions that can interfere with functioning. Because so much of life involves relationships, psychotherapy necessarily concerns itself with obstacles to achieving more satisfying and intimate ties with others. Thus, in order to be freed from the overwhelming feelings of anxiety and sadness that often bring people to seek help, one must temper the underlying negative internal images that make it hard for one to soothe oneself.
As a psychologist, my principle treatment modality is talk therapy. If in the course of treatment we come to a decision that medication is necessary, I have established excellent referral relationships with highly qualified psycho-pharmacologists. By working as a team, together we monitor a client’s symptoms and arrive at collaborative treatment decisions.