individual therapy

Individual Therapy: Cultivating Personal WellBeing and Relationship Growth

At Integrative Couples Therapy, we understand that the relationship you have with yourself is foundational to every other connection in your life. While couples therapy focuses on building stronger partnerships, individual therapy provides a unique space to explore your inner world, heal emotional wounds, and create meaningful change. Whether you are navigating personal challenges, seeking clarity about your relationships, or complementing couples therapy, individual therapy can help you achieve your goals.

What is Individual Therapy?

Individual therapy is a collaborative process designed to support you in navigating life’s complexities and fostering personal wellbeing. Through a relational and attachment-based lens, our therapists guide you in exploring your thoughts, emotions, and interactions to help you better understand yourself and your relationships. Many of our clients seek individual therapy for a variety of reasons, including support for anxiety, depression, trauma, and relational challenges. For some, individual therapy is a standalone service; for others, it complements the work they are doing in couples therapy.

Why People Choose Individual Therapy

People choose individual therapy for many reasons:

  • Their partner is not ready to attend couples therapy. Sometimes, one partner may not feel ready or willing to engage in couples therapy. Individual therapy allows you to focus on your own growth while navigating relational dynamics.

  • They are in couples therapy and need additional support. For clients already working on their relationship in couples therapy, individual sessions can provide a safe space to address anxiety, depression, trauma or emotional resilience.

  • They are dealing with highly-escalated dynamics. High levels of conflict can lead couples therapy sessions to be overwhelming. Individual therapy offers tools and strategies to manage emotions and gain clarity before beginning couples therapy or serve as an adjunct to couples therapy.

  • They want their own space to examine their relationship. Individual therapy provides a private, supportive environment to examine past and current relationships, clarify feelings, process loss, and make decisions without external pressures.

  • They are in the process of seperation or divorce. Individual therapy provides a supportive space to process emotions, gain clarity, and build resilience during the challenges of seperation and divorce.

Focus Areas in Individual Therapy

Our individual therapy sessions are tailored to your unique needs. Common areas of focus include:

  • Relationships: Explore relationship patterns, dynamics, and challenges to build deeper, healthier connections.

  • Emotional Awareness: Understand how emotions shape your experiences, mood, and behaviors.

  • Family Dynamics: Heal wounds from your family of origin or work on improving relationships with family members.

  • Anxiety and Depression: Address symptoms with a holistic approach that incorporates relational and emotional well-being.

  • Trauma Recovery: Heal from past pain through an attachment-focused, nervous-system-informed approach.

  • Loss and Grief: Navigate transitions and find healing after the loss of a relationship or loved one.

  • Parenting: Receive support for parenting challenges through an attachment and nervous system lens.

  • Separation and Divorce: Work through life transitions with practical tools and emotional resilience.

  • Attachment Patterns: Explore attachment styles to foster security and inner harmony.

Strengthening the Relationship with Yourself

A thriving relationship with yourself is essential for building fulfilling connections with others. Individual therapy often focuses on enhancing self-esteem, self-compassion, and emotional resilience. If you are participating in couples therapy, individual sessions can complement this work by addressing personal dynamics that contribute to the relational system. Together, we’ll explore early life experiences, unresolved patterns, and strategies for cultivating inner security and confidence.

What to Expect in Therapy

In individual therapy, you’ll find a safe and supportive environment where your therapist will help you process emotions, uncover patterns, and gain clarity. Emotions are valuable signals that offer insights into your needs, desires, and concerns. Using evidence-based methods, including nervous-system regulation techniques, we’ll help you create meaningful shifts in your life. Therapy sessions focus on building self-awareness, developing practical skills, and bridging the gap between insight and real-world application.

Getting Started

At Integrative Couples Therapy, we are committed to helping you thrive. Whether you are looking to heal from past experiences, address current challenges, or embark on a journey of personal growth, our therapists are here to guide and support you. Take the first step toward a more fulfilling and vibrant life by contacting us today. Together, we’ll help you unlock your potential for self-discovery, healing, and meaningful change.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The majority of our individual clients start therapy during a time in their life that is stressful. Some are experiencing anxiety, depression, or have other concerns about their mental health. Some want to strengthen their romantic relationship, others are ending their relationship and some are single and want to be in a relationship. Many clients want to heal from their past, particularly if they have experienced loss and trauma. Many of our clients want to change habits or let go of behaviors that no longer serve them. Most of our individual clients have multiple areas of their life they want support with including relationships, family, work/business, and mental health. We also work with individuals that are wanting support with their romantic relationship yet their partner is not able to attend couples therapy. 

  • Yes. Marriage and Family Therapists are mental health professionals that are licensed or registered with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences to diagnose and treat mental health disorders. All of our therapists have Masters Degrees and are Licensed or Registered in the State of California to diagnosis and treat mental health disorders.  In addition, all of our therapists have training beyond their graduate school education in couples therapy.

    Our approach views mental health through a family systems, holistic, and relational lens. We aim to uncover and transform what is driving symptoms and behaviors. In addition, we will aim to collaborate with your psychiatrist or other providers to ensure we are delivering the most effective care possible. If we are not able to provide treatment for the mental health challenges you are facing we will refer you to trusted providers in our community. 

  • There are a few reasons why your therapist may be recommending individual therapy in conjunction with couples therapy. Some individuals discover they want their own confidential space that is separate from couples therapy. Untreated mental health conditions or trauma can interfere with the progress of couples therapy. In some situations, such as with active drug and alcohol dependency, it will be important for the addiction to be addressed before we can proceed to the deeper work of couples therapy. Individual therapy is also recommended when a couple is experiencing emotional or physical abuse or active infidelity. If abuse is present in the relationship, couples therapy is not safe unless the couples therapist is highly trained to work with abuse. If you are in an abusive relationship please contact our care coordinator or schedule an individual therapy appointment.

  • The length of the psychotherapy process varies depending on our client's history, strengths, challenges, and goals. Some clients attend a few sessions while others are in therapy for several years. Many clients prefer to be in therapy throughout their life as needed. Although your therapist will make recommendations on length of treatment, it is always up to the client whether they want to attend or not. Clients will never be pressured or obligated to pay for a set number of sessions. 

  • Generally therapy is most effective when clients attend once per week for a 55 minute session. Your therapist will hold a recurring weekly day/time for you or you can schedule at the end of every session. Over time many clients drop down to less frequent sessions. 

  • Our therapists help clients with the understanding the connection among thoughts, emotions, needs, physiological responses, memories, behaviors, and relationships. Our main focus for individual clients is centered on creating a resilient and compassionate inner world which bolsters mental health and improves relationships. There are many factors that contribute to our mental wellness including environment, relationships, nutrition, substances, sleep, stress, and spirituality and all of this may be explored in therapy. All the therapists at IFT practice what they teach and live a lifestyle that emphasizes holistic health, self care, movement, personal growth, and nature.