Consumer Orientation:

MyTherapySession.com was founded and developed by Dr. Brent R. Coyle, a practicing board-certified psychiatrist. His desire, in creating this site, is to make psychological health care grounded in knowledge, security, capability and accessibility, through psychoeducation and partnership.

Providing the time and education you need: Psychological problems are devastating and require intense education and guidance. It is not uncommon for patients to express that their psychiatrist, primary care doctor, or other emotional health care provider has very little time to spend with them. Unfortunately, in many situations, a patient receives the allotted time that the provider can offer, rather than the amount of time and education they actually need. Many individuals are starved for emotional health information that is current, easy to understand, yet substantial enough to make a real difference in their lives. Often, individuals are in greater need of education and guidance rather than medication, or at least need the education as a foundation for making health care decisions.

Providing education as a foundation for all health care decisions: Dr. Coyle long ago realized how potenitally intimidating emotional problems were for most people so he began to consider how he could develop ways to make it as safe and secure as possible. He developed a set of techniques as an acute-care psychiatrist that included a video presentation on "Safety" regarding suicidal, homicidal, substance abuse and other crisis situations that was working; his patients had the opportunity to see that short presentation, then discuss it with members of his staff and with each other. He repeatedly saw how his patients were able to put important pieces together for a fundamental understanding that literally seemed to be saving their lives.

Dr. Coyle also had many other ideas about what information and techniques needed to be conveyed to patients in order to set the stage for their success. With that, he began to create more video presentations that have proven to be highly effective, foundational and empowering for creating self-esteem and capabilities for dealing with a wide variety of conditions.

Providing content when you need it: Dr. Coyle also had a desire to make this educational information available whenever an individual wanted it, or needed it, in contrast to the, extended waiting times for seeing a provider in person. The flexibility and convenience of the internet offered this final component for MyTherapySession.com.

Cautions:

Before beginning, certain cautions should be considered. MyTherapySession.com is not therapy per se, because it is not interpersonal, and, it is highly encouraged you seek out proper emotional health care if you have not done so already. Our programs can facilitate that care, but it is not the same as talking to a therapist. Partnership, in the midst of emotional distress and healing is crucial. Ideally, this partnership is with a therapist, however, there are also realities of individuals not being able to do so, either due to long waiting periods to see a provider, the costs of doing so, geography, or for other various reasons. Another option, should a therapist just not be feasible right now, is to work in partnership with an emotionally healthy individual whom you trust and respect.

Multimodal Education:

As a long-term teacher, Dr. Coyle realized individuals had different learning styles and needed to receive information in as many forms as possible in order to maximize their understanding of it. During the video presentations, Dr. Coyle's unique method of teaching provides the viewer with visual and auditory learning opportunities, note-taking opportunities, repetition, breaks, discussion, and practice. These multimodal learning tools appeal to all learning styles and ensure maximum understanding, comprehension, and retention of the material presented.

How is MyTherapySession.com different?

You will most likely see, hear and experience things a bit differently on MyTherapySession.com than you will other sources. You will NOT find extensive discussions about diagnoses or drug-sponsored medication management discussions. There is a wide variety of information about these topics already available on the internet and other places. At MyTherapySession.com, we prefer to go deeper into the reasons why a person might be depressed, anxious, using substances, etc. In reality, what things look like (which is largely how we define emotional illness now) is, to us, less important than the actual issues beneath the so-called manifestation. (Take trauma for example: the end result of trauma might be depression, anxiety, flashbacks, substance use, or something else and in today's level of understanding, we might call these "manifestations" different things, when in truth, what is most needed is help dealing with the trauma.) Therefore, we try to avoid diagnostic terms, and rather address and explore real solutions and resolutions for these underlying themes and issues.

Organization:

The MyTherapySession.com guided self help video presentations are organized by short segments of information, with regular breaks (stops) to allow you to think about, discuss, and react to the material. You may back up and replay any portion of the videos as needed. The video programs build on each other and provide increased depth and sophistication for dealing with a wide variety of mental health concerns.

Suggested Starting Place:

If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Coyle before proceeding, you may do so on the About Us page. Or, if you prefer to get started right away, we suggest you begin with at least the shorter of the self-assessment tools, the "MyNeeds" (Concise) health assessment, which will help direct you further. If you would rather dive right into the educational experience, the Self-Esteem and Goal Setting program is an excellent choice. Whenever topic you choose to begin with, we recommend you download, print, and use the free accompanying journal, which is available on each individual topic page or by clicking here.

Product Development by:

Safety Must Come First!

Go to an emergency room or psychiatric facility immediately if needed. Safety must always come first! And, any physician will tell you, "First, do no harm!" If you are acutely suicidal, homicidal, psychotic, doing drugs or addicted to alcohol, or are in some other psychiatric emergency situation, please go to your nearest emergency room now! Ask for an assessment and get immediate treatment. This website cannot help you if you are in imminent danger. So, please, seek out emergency care if you need it right now.

Safety Presentation: If your situation is not quite as acute, but you have ever even considered suicide, have found yourself violently angry, or out of control in your use of addictive substances or alcohol, or have found yourself in any other emergency or scary emotional situation, it is highly encouraged that you review the "Safety" video presentation first: Choosing Life: Safety in Emotional Crisis. (Watching this video might also give you a better idea of Dr. Coyle's teaching style, as well as whether these offerings would be helpful to you.)