Daniel A. Bochner, Ph.D.

The one common denominator for those first seeking psychotherapy is the desire for change. They are not satisfied with something in their life, whether it be others treating them badly, a lack of general success, feelings of depression or anxiety, or a particular relationship. People seek some kind of change because they're not feeling like things are good enough the way they are. In this short subsection, five articles related to change are offered. The primary focus is on changing yourself, since you are the only person over whom you have direct influence. Change is difficult, however, and these articles are quite focused on that reality. The first article in this section, You Need to Know You're Great, discusses the core goal in developing mental health: self esteem. The next three articles discuss the efforts necessary for change and exactly how arduous those efforts can be. In Adaptation vs. Adaptation, the usefulness of personality development for dealing with childhood is contrasted with our need to change our personalities in order to deal with our current life situations. Balance and the Motivation to Change is a look at what it means to be balanced and just how out of balance a person must be before they typically commit to making a change. The problems faced in overcoming a truly horrible past are highlighted in Undoing the Troubled-Past/Troubled-Future Dilemma. Finally, in The Importance of Growth, the absolute necessity for change and moving forward with life is discussed in recognition that such growth must occur for one to remain healthy, even when there's really nothing wrong.