When you take your damaged washing machine to a service centre, you probably know what is going to happen. They may dismantle the unit to find out the fault and get it repaired. You also know what will happen when you visit a doctor with a broken bone. It may get reduced and splinted to heal ultimately.
But, are you sure what happens during your appointment with a mental health therapist? Many people are quite sure of what is going on in a therapist room, and a few are anxious or and tensed about it. There are plenty of questions lingering around as whether you need just to talk? Do you have to discuss your childhood experiences? Will they hypnotise you?
There is also a big deal of confusing version you ought to hear from friends and family about psychotherapy sessions as they too have some incorrect understanding about it. You may also get confused about what sort of issues and problems are suitable to address through therapy and what relief therapy sessions may offer.
What happens in a therapist room?
Therapy is a collaborative effort with equal involvement of the therapist and the client. Therapeutic process will help enable the clients to develop a better understanding of self and others around to make positive changes in your life and lifestyles. A typical therapy session will also lead to an in-depth understanding of the stressors and how to cope with difficult situations and overcome stress.
E-therapy told us that primarily, therapy sessions involve close conversations between the client and the therapist about how you feel about things and what concerns you. Initially, the psychotherapist may listen carefully to you and then will try to make you understanding things from a broader point of view and try to do some collective thinking about your concerns. Rather than giving you advice on what to do and what not, the therapist will help you to have a better understanding of things and take your best decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Should I be disturbed or sick to have a therapist appointment?
Not necessarily. Some therapists specialize in severe psychological disturbances like suicidal ideations and schizophrenia etc., but many others only focus on helping individuals to work through the challenging everyday live and work situations. You can think of approaching a therapist for coping up with stressful situations like losing of the job, change in career, troublesome parenting, managing divorce, or to strengthen stress management skills.
Q: How to choose the right therapist?
You need to take it as choosing any other service providers. Gather as much information as possible about various therapists in your region. The best practice is to visit their website, read client testimonials, view customer reviews and rating, etc. You can also consider talking to friends and family for references. It is also essential to look whether the providers you think are covered under your health insurance policies.
Q: What happens during therapy?
You can take it simply as a problem-solving session. You describe your current situation which you find difficult to cope up with and your actual feelings about it, and the therapist uses their skills and expertise to assist you to evaluate the problem from a different perspective and get actionable solutions.
A therapy session an ideal space where you need not have to be anxious or worried about hurting anyone’s feelings. Try to be as honest as possible and participate full‑ heartedly in the self-help efforts to get out of your troublesome situations happily.