Clinicians at the Main Line Center for Evidence-Based Psychotherapy work with a broad range of adult and adolescent clients with emotional, behavioral, and/or adjustment problems. Common concerns or conditions with which clients present to the Center’s clinicians include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Depression (including major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, perinatal depression)
- Anxiety disorders (including generalized anxiety, illness anxiety, social anxiety, specific phobias, and perinatal anxiety)
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Adjustment disorders
- Bipolar and related disorders
- Personality disorders (including borderline personality disorder)
- Insomnia
- Suicide risk
- Relationship problems
- Life transitions
When clients first present for treatment, they first undergo assessment, which is the process by which a clinician gathers information about a client’s symptoms, life problems, background, and strengths. Most of this information is gathered in a face-to-face interview format, but some clients also complete self-report questionnaires and/or invite a close other to provide their impression of the client’s difficulties. The assessment process typically takes between one and three sessions. At the end of the assessment period, the clinician arrives upon a diagnosis and formulation of the client’s clinical presentation. In addition, the clinician works collaboratively with the client to identify specific treatment goals, a plan for achieving those goals, and a strategy for monitoring progress toward them.
Most clients who complete the assessment process subsequently participate in psychotherapy, or the process by which a clinician works collaboratively with a client to address their symptoms and life problems. Clinicians at the Center practice evidence-based psychotherapy, which means that she uses treatment packages and strategies that research has shown to be efficacious with certain clinical presentations. You can learn more about evidence-based psychotherapy. Clinicians at the Center most often treat clients using an individual psychotherapy format. However, they also offer couple therapy and, occasionally, group therapy and family therapy.