Just as any profession has some workers who are more skilled and others who are less so, so does the therapy world
I’ve had a positive therapy experience in the past. But when I started working with a new therapist — who came recommended by two people I trust — things were different. She asked me a lot of detailed questions that had nothing to do with treatment. For example, she asked which therapist a relative of mine was seeing, then suggested that the reason they weren’t doing well was because they needed to switch therapists — yet she was unable to explain why she needed to know this. It was upsetting for me to feel like we were wasting time on irrelevant details.
She also kept trying to problem-solve for me, instead of supporting me through the work. When I shared a problem at home, she wanted to speak to those involved — but I wanted to learn skills that would enable me to deal with those people, instead of having her jump in to save the day. After a few sessions, I ended our relationship — I wasn’t gaining and came out a bigger mess than when I’d come in.
I’m not here to put down therapists; I just want to bring awareness. Just as any profession has some workers who are more skilled and others who are less so, so does the therapy world. Do thorough research, and carefully consider your goals, as well as the therapist’s specialty.
Learned My Lesson
“How to ascertain if your therapist is competent, caring, and the right match for you” is an important question, and for the most part I felt that the piece did a respectable job delineating some of the different factors that determine the success of therapy.
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