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Xavier Conesa Lapena 

​Psychologist


Tel  653 811 887

Barcelona

conesa@gmail.com 

www.xavierconesa.com

English: Bienvenido

Psychologist, Sexologist and Couple Therapist. In 1990 he founded the Applied Psychology Center in Mollet del Vallès; An organization dedicated to psychological treatments for adults, adolescents and children. He reconciled these tasks with male and female sexual therapies and sexual dysfunctions, establishing partnerships with institutions dedicated to mental health, especially in the Vallès region. 
Later, he started up the Higher Institute for Sexology Studies (I.S.E.S.) in Barcelona, dedicated to the teaching of sexology: postgraduate courses, masters and specific courses recognized as of health interest by the Ministry of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya. The Institute maintains a collaboration agreement with the University of Barcelona, University of Girona, Ramon Llull University, Open University of Catalonia, University of California and Illinois University Studies Center.
In 1997 he specialized in specific treatments for depression through light therapy, being one of the leaders in the research and implementation of this therapy nationwide. Information in this regard was published in the newspaper El Mundo, journalistic articles in Consumer and the Public newspaper.
External internships tutor for the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Barcelona (UB) since 1999.
He has also been the coordinator of the Working Group on Sexology from the Official College of Psychologists in Catalonia.
Over the years, he has collaborated magazines, radio and television.

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  Therapy Questions Every Therapist Should Be Asking

Healing conversations are an art form in peril of being lost to our busy lives.
The ultimate goal of talk therapy is to enable the process of psychological and emotional healing along the continuum from the problematic toward a sense of greater mental wellbeing.
Although we often come to therapy with a problem, we also come as persons who want to be heard and understood, who want to feel like we matter, who wish to learn self-compassion, and who want to find partnership in helping us heal and see ourselves and our life situation in a different light.
I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.
Richard Feynman
Progress in a therapeutic relationship cannot be made unless the client feels safe to speak his or her mind, and it is on the practitioner to create that climate of openness and transparency.
The process also often requires the clinician's willingness to work diligently to help clients understand what they want, the patience to help them learn to own all aspects of themselves, including contradictory feelings, and the ability to create a safe space to allow for transformation to occur.
Most of what happens in talk therapy are accomplished through the skillful use of questions, but only second to a lot of active listening.
This article surveys different approaches to asking therapeutic questions meant for both practitioners and their clients and gives examples of how the quality of questions we ask can improve our lives.

English: Acerca de


 This article contains:


7 Questions Designed for the First Therapy Session

Therapy Intake Questions to Ask Patients

15 Useful Therapy Questions to Ask Yourself

20 Couples Therapy Questions Designed to Improve Relationships

30 Family Therapy Assessment Questions

The Family Therapy Questions Game

Therapeutic Questions for Youth

15 Therapeutic Questions for Group Therapy Discussions

A Take-Home Message

References

7 Questions Designed for the First Therapy Session


The first therapy session must focus on relationship building and creating rapport, which is necessary for establishing an effective foundation for a practitioner-client relationship, often referred to as therapeutic alliance. Research shows the outcomes of therapy are heavily dependent on the quality of this relationship (Lambert, & Dean, 2001).


Ideally, the first therapy session should be a form of positive inception so the practitioner can set the stage for future interactions. Carl Rogers used to say that the therapist must create an environment where everyone can be themselves (1961).


Courage doesn't happen when you have all the answers. It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding your whole life.


Shannon L. Alder


The very first question in therapy is usually about the presenting problem or the chief complaint for which the client comes to therapy, often followed by an exploration of the client's past experience with therapy, if any, and his or her expectations of future outcomes of therapy.


1. What brings you here today?
For clients who need encouragement in opening up, it may be helpful to remark on their bravery in seeking therapy.


For those who are at the other extreme and go into a lengthy and detailed explanation of their issues, perhaps having been in therapy before, it is best to listen empathically first before complimenting them on how well they appear to know themselves, and how they have thought a lot about what they would like to talk about in therapy.


2. Have you ever seen a counselor before?
For those who are in therapy for the first time, observing how comfortable and confident they are in talking about the challenges in their life can help set the stage for further disclosure.


It may be helpful to set some expectation of what is going to happen in the therapeutic process by explaining how asking questions is at the core of the process and reassuring the client that they should feel free to interrupt at any time and to steer the conversation to where they need it to go.


If the client has seen a counselor before, it can prove very valuable to inquire further about their previous experience in therapy by asking about frequency, duration, and issues discussed during their previous engagements, as well as, what is one thing they remember most that a former counselor has told them.


An important aspect for gaging clients' engagement in the process of therapy is asking them about what went right, or what didn't turn out the way they would have liked in their previous therapeutic engagement, as this can point to where they place the sense of responsibility for their situation.


Inquiring if the client achieved the results they sought, and if they have been successful in maintaining them outside of the therapeutic relationship can also provide valuable insight into their motivation for change.


3. What do you expect from the counseling process?
Establishing a mutual agreement and setting expectations for the engagement is crucial to making progress. Clients' goals and preferences for the form and the level of interaction need to be taken into consideration.


Some clients like to vent and have the counselor listen; others want a high level of interaction and a form of spirited back and forth. It is also important to inquire how the client learns best and if they like to receive homework.


Other examples of questions that can point to the tone and the flow of future communications can be fashioned after the following:

How many meetings do you think it will take to achieve your goals?
How might you undermine achieving your own goals?
How do you feel about using good advice to grow from?
How will we know when we have been successful in achieving your goals for therapy?


Therapy Intake Questions to Ask Patients
Therapy intake questionsA 2018 study that analyzed records from their health-care providers showed that approximately 81.1% of people withheld medically relevant information from their doctors, 45.7% of adults avoided telling their providers that they disagreed with their care recommendations, and 81.8% of adults withheld information because they didn't want to be lectured or judged (Levy, Scherer, Zikmund-Fisher, Larkin, Barnes, & Fagerlin).


Many aspects of clients' lives can influence their engagement and progress in therapy. Having a clear picture of clients' physical health and daily functioning is often a part of the initial intake.


Questions about preexisting medical conditions, current and past treatments, medications, and family history are essential to the effective assessment of needs and the successful provision of therapeutic treatment.


Although most therapists do not prescribe medication, many often partner with other medical professionals by making recommendations, particularly in instances where clients have been referred for therapy. A complete adult intake form is included below and can be a useful guide for some of the issues that may require further exploration.

English: Texto
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