WHY DO PEOPLE COME TO THERAPY?
People come to therapy for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is a recent crisis, trauma or external event that is particularly challenging. Other times it is an internal event – a recent sadness that you can’t shake, inability to focus at work, or problems maintaining relationships.
Regardless of the reason, many clients come to therapy wanting to change, but not really knowing the path forward. They may think that they cannot do it at all, or at least need a lot of help. Change is uncomfortable. Change takes work, and life is already full, so they put it on the back burner. Perhaps there is even a biological or health reason that is preventing someone from changing.
Fortunately, therapy can provide the space and time to change. It focuses on trying to accurately understand your point of view and then exploring a path forward that keeps your values in mind.
Where Education, Experience and Empathy Meet.
CHOOSING A THERAPIST
Therapy is an investment – in money, in time, and in your soul. (fun fact: psychotherapy comes from the Greek, literally meaning “soul healing”) If you are investing so much into this process you will want to choose a therapist with the 3 E’s. Education, Experience, and Empathy.
Therapy is both an art and a science. A good therapist will be aware of the research and committed to following the best practices of the field. This comes through a professional desire to learn the wisdom that others have shared, and be trained in the discernment of the research.
Having the education is not enough though. Book smarts have to meet street smarts. While each individual is unique in the issues they bring to therapy, there are certainly universal threads that are present. A good therapist will have the training to find these threads, while not losing the individual in the process.
The last piece, and possibly the most important is Empathy. If a therapist is not willing to walk in your shoes and wrestle with understanding the nuances of your problems, then no amount of experience or education will help. The relationship needs a therapist who is empathic towards your story and it is no surprise that the research strongly supports the importance of the therapeutic relationship!
START TODAY!
We’ve established why change is difficult and choosing the right therapist for you is also essential. Every new beginning starts with an action. Make a phone call and get a free consultation. We can talk about the issues that are bringing you to therapy. If this is not the right fit, we will work with you to try and find the right path.