Terri Yu, Psychotherapist in Montreal, H1V3G4

Dr. Terri Yu, MD, OACCPP

Profession(s):
Psychotherapy, Mental Health Counseling, Coaching
License Status:
I'm a registered professional.
Licensing Info:
0343-G
Primary License:
OACCPP - 0343-G

My Approach to Helping

Having been practicing psychotherapy for over 20 years, I can say that my practice was established with the aspiration of assisting people on their journeys to emotional and spiritual health and discovering their road to recovery from psychic pain and suffering. The objective of therapy of such nature is not only to heal the "sickness" of the mind, but also to help patients utilize their full potential: turning impasses into new beginnings.

As the oracle of Delphi states, "Know thy self", such therapy holds a mirror to the soul of the seeker. Hence the therapist's task is to midwife the patient in giving birth to this self-knowledge while he/she delves into the depth of his/her psyche.

Often times people entered "healing conversations" with their therapist because they had been experiencing certain symptoms such as depression, anxiety, inability to function appropriately (prone to anger outbursts or having relationship troubles for instance), or unable to think clearly. To the surprise of most, through this particular kind of dialogue and the experience of the "sample" therapeutic relationship with their therapist, they discovered that they gained a different perspective and learned the depth of themselves, of which they had been unacquainted before embarking on this emotional journey. More often than not, their symptoms "disappeared", and change occurred in a fundamental way in their internal life and their relationships with others around them.

There are many obstacles in therapy. A major obstruction is the typical phenomenon "the known devil is safer than the unknown angel". Getting to know yourself is painful; you may expect that you will resist it and often times resent it therefore hold ill feelings towards your therapist for he/she is the bearer of "bad news".

How Psychotherapy Can Help

On the surface, there are two main reasons people ask for professional help in terms of psychotherapy.First, you are unhappy with your life so you’d like to make some changes. Second, other people are dissatisfied with the way you treat them and they’d want YOU to change. If you begin to wonder perhaps you play a part (however big or small) in the makings of your “fate”, then you’ve come to the right place. Psychotherapy, at least the form I practice it, provides an understanding of why you behave the way you do, what made you the way you are, why you feel certain ways when there doesn’t seem to have apparent reasons for you to feel this way or that, what “secretly” (secret from your conscious self) governs and motivates you, and much more. Perhaps for the first time in your life, you are finally willing and able to face yourself with the help of a trained professional. In doing so, you’ve taken the first step to be “free”. Free to decide whether a change is desirable or you’d rather stay the way you are. Free to take an emotional action, or inaction, after fully comprehending the consequences. Getting to know yourself is difficult, sometimes you may not like what you “learn”. But if you are “brave” and you persevere, you’ll eventually work through the “hidden” obstacles and become the person you want to be and respect. Your therapist is your guide and witness on this internal journey of self-knowledge and emotional growth.

On the Fence About Going to Therapy?

Since you are asking this question, it means that you are already exploring the possibility whether or not psychotherapy is the “right” method to help you. The first thing is to decide why you are seeking help. Do you want to understand the “root” issues or do you just want to quick solution to a “simple” dilemma? The answer to this question will gear you either towards therapy or counseling/consultation. If you decide that you would like to get to know yourself better and discover the makings of your internal life, and you are someone who likes to spend time figuring out a complex puzzle, then psychotherapy may be the choice of healing for you. The next step is to find the “right” therapist for you.

Important Factors for Choosing a Therapist

The therapist needs to know him/herself in order to separate his own feelings (therefore not project those to his/her patients) from those of the patients’ therefore preferably (I’d venture to say necessarily) you’d want to choose a therapist who has completed therapy him/herself. He/she needs to be emotionally “robust”. A therapist needs to be able to manage being hated, insulted or accused (this doesn’t mean that he/she accepts them but there is a calm and “healthy” way to point out the “injustice” without falling apart or “attacking” patients in return) therefore providing a “safe” holding environment for patients to eventually have no such needs to behave similarly in the “outside” world. Once you’ve been to your sessions, you need to figure out whether or not your therapist’s interpretations make sense (you may dislike them as they pointed out something you do not wish to see in yourself but they may be accurate). Since this is your “sample” relationship, you would need a therapist that’s fully engaged in this therapeutic relationship with you (like all relationships it may be fraught with difficulties but the “engagement” is something you would like to have here).