Therapy is a place where you’re going to work out your problems and get help for mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or PTSD. There may be other issues that you’re getting help with such as relationship problems if you’re going for couples counseling or phobias. But if you’re not getting benefits from therapy, there may be something wrong with your therapist or the connection that you have with them. How do you know if you need a different therapist? Here are some ways to find out the truth.
1. Your therapist is not listening to you
If you go to therapy and get the sense that your therapist is zoning out or that you’re not being listened to, that is a sign that they’re not a good provider and you need to switch. Another way to tell if they might not be listening is if you say something and they try to paraphrase it back to you, but it’s entirely off base. For example, if you say “I’m having trouble getting over my ex, and I need help,” and they say “so, it seems like you’re in love with this person and want to get back together with them, it’s not that you want to get back together with them – it’s that you want to move on and don’t know how. That’s an example of a therapist not listening to you.
2. You and your therapist don’t click
There are a ton of mental health providers out there, and every single one of them is unique. You may have a compassionate personality, and you might be working with someone who is extraordinarily blunt and harsh. Sometimes, that’s what we need, and that therapist might be an excellent fit for someone else. However, this style isn’t always an excellent fit for someone highly sensitive. It could be that you are someone who is working with specific phobias, but your therapist doesn’t understand the gravity of your phobia, and they’re pushing you too hard. There are different styles of therapy, and every person needs to choose what works for them. Let’s say that you’re very blunt, but your therapist is soft-spoken and sensitive. That’s another example of a not-so-great fit. So, different styles work for different people.
3. The kind of therapy your therapist practices isn’t what you’re seeking treatment for
Let’s say that you’re going to therapy for an eating disorder, and your therapist practices a form of treatment such as psychodynamic therapy or analysis. It isn’t something that’s behaviorally based, and it might not be what someone with an eating disorder needs. Maybe, you’ll find that although talking about your childhood might be helpful in some ways; you’re not getting the benefit of this form of treatment because you need someone that specializes in your condition and practices a more suitable method of therapy. Another example is that maybe, you need to work through trauma or go for trauma-informed treatment, but you chose or got paired with someone who practices CBT, which is behavioral. You’re not getting the benefit of trauma relief and recovery; instead, you’re getting behavioral therapy, which doesn’t fulfill your needs. That would mean that you need a new therapist.
4. You do not see the benefit of therapy in your life, and your life is not improving
One of the signs that you need a new therapist is if you’re working as hard as you can in therapy and you’re attending every session, but your life is not improving. That’s a surefire sign that you need a new therapist. It’s time to figure out what kind of therapy you need and how you can find the right fit for you. So, what steps come next?
Online therapy
Consider online therapy if you’re a busy professional or if you’re someone who lives in a remote area. It can be a life-changing mode of treatment if you’re looking for somebody who can help you and you’re in one of these places. Online therapy is great for anyone who needs a convenient way to access mental health treatment and is on the go. It’s excellent for couples counseling as well. So, search for an online therapist who suits your needs. You might be interested in BetterHelp or another company, but you can get the help that you need and find a therapist that works with your particular concerns.
This is a featured post by site sponsor Better Help.
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