Welcome to NPK( Nompumelelo Prudence Kubeka) Clinical Psychologist. The main aim of the practice is to help individuals become their own home so they always have themselves to come back to. What I mean by this is one cannot form a healthy relationship with others when they have not learnt to have a healthy relationship with themselves. It all starts with you. Psychotherapy is an approach for treating mental health issues by talking a psychologist. During psychotherapy, you learn about your specific issues and how your thoughts, emotions and behaviours affect your moods and also your everyday life, Psychotherapy helps you learn how to take control of your life and respond to challenging situations with healthy coping skills.
Psychotherapy is not easy and even you being on my website is already a big step of you showing up for yourself. So well done for taking a step to heal wounds that have been carrying for a long time and have been causing you distress. I hope you find the healing you need and that you are ready to do the work.
What to expect in your first session
The first session you fill in the file so we can keep a record of notes and also your information. We will then have a clinical interview, this involves a series of questions that the therapist will ask to get to know you and gather history. This interview helps the therapist to know implement her intervention proceeding forward. It is important to answer the questions as honestly and truthfully as possible. Most patients are anxious during the first session and it is totally normal. You are meeting a stranger and you are about to be vulnerable and tell your life story. The first interview is a bit daunting because you have to tell your whole life experiences in 50-60 mins. It is very important to try and take good care of yourself and be kind to yourself after the session. It is not easy reliving years of trauma in 50-60 mins.
During therapy
In the second and the upcoming sessions we will then work in themes so we do not deal with everything all at once. I am trained psychodynamically my approach of working is mostly unstructured meaning I work with what the patient brings in each session. In therapy there is homework that you might get. It is important to be committed and do the homework. Most of the sessions start from childhood experinces so there is a better understanding of patterns, also where these patterns stem from and also how they impact. In most of the sessions the therapist encourages you to talk about your thoughts, feelings, what's giving you distress and troubling you. In the first few sessions it is hard to open up about your feelings and this is normal. Therapy is meant to help you gain more confidence and comfort as time goes on. Psychotherapy sometimes involves intense emotional discussions, you may find yourself crying, becoming upset and having different types of emotions. You also may feel physically exhausted after a session. This is due to the fact that we carry so many unprocessed and suppressed emotions in our bodies for years. Processing them help our bodies detox and process unconscious emotions and feelings. Not everyone that comes to therapy is diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder, therapy is also for relational problems and emotional disregulation.