What is psychotherapy about?

Psychotherapy is the art of helping you to find your way to being fully yourself and to support the people around you to do the same.  There are many issues that psychotherapy can help successfully resolve, including:

• depression – feeling sad, hopeless, disconnected or unmotivated;
• anxiety – worrying about the future or dwelling needlessly on the past;
• emotional dysregulation – difficulty dealing with life and people calmly and wisely; this can sometimes lead to feeling overwhelmingly hurt, suicidal or self-destructive, and at other times to feeling rageful, "out of control" and engaging in self-defeating behaviors; and
• relationship conflict – chronic arguing or distancing from people you care about.

Whether life feels painful or joyful, overwhelming or rewarding – depends on our ability to let go of painful stories and to embrace the inherent richness of the present moment. I believe it is possible for anyone to make this shift, no matter how much emotional distress, or relationship confusion you have been experiencing.
   
Change is possible, and with good therapy it starts with the first session. Be prepared to discover new possibilities for yourself.

Learning to be in the present moment

Along with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), I teach mindfulness, assertiveness and communication skills for everyday life. With these skills you can learn:

1. to notice and accept the natural flow of emotions in daily life,
2. to practice non-judgmental awareness and compassion towards your own and others' behaviors, and
3. to develop a wise and peaceful response to work and family stressors.

    The key to making these shifts is to recognize the deep paradox that changing your stance towards problems requires, above all, accepting yourself and reality as it is.

Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, you should know that effective treatments do exist to increase your capacity for living a meaningful life.  Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is one of the best known treatment formats for this disorder.  I offer a modified version of DBT, suitable for individual therapy.  If a full-DBT program (including weekly group therapy) does not work for you, call me to discuss whether a different treatment protocol may be of use.

About Me

Ameet Ravital, PhD, DiHom is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Philadelphia, PA.

Insurance & Fees

Here is a list of my current fees, as well as options for insurance reimbursement for psychotherapy consultations.