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Starting Psychotherapy: Thoughts and Behaviors

Writer's picture: Dr. Leilani SharpeDr. Leilani Sharpe

Dr. Leilani Sharpe is a licensed child and adult psychiatrist in Los Angeles, California.

As I start to review different types of psychotherapy modalities, you'll likely pick up that there is this running theme: Your thoughts affect your actions.


Again, a deceptively simple idea that is actually much more involved once you spend more time on it.


The basic idea behind so many psychotherapy modalities is that your patterns of thinking affect what you do on a day to day basis, whether you are consciously aware of those thought patterns or not.


Some people struggle with known thoughts that make it hard to lead the kind of life they would like. For example, some people struggle with a constant sense of worry. Others have difficult memories that shape their decisions, even when they would prefer that weren’t the case.


However, many people have thoughts or biases or beliefs they are not as aware of, and so they are unaware of the extent to which those thoughts shape their behaviors.


Put another way, therapists often use a variety of tools to help people understand why a behavior exists. For so many people, understanding their thought patterns is the first step towards making desired changes.


Next post: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

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Parkside Consulting is directed by Leilani M. Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D.  Dr. Sharpe received her medical degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, before completing her adult psychiatry residency at UCLA Resnick and her child psychiatry fellowship at The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.  Dr. Sharpe is board certified in both adult and child psychiatry.  In addition to being the primary physician at Parkside Consulting, she coordinates additional providers as needed for consultation packages and any ancillary services the clinic provides.

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