Are you considering reaching out for Mental Health Counseling? Have you tried it before and it didn’t go well? Are you suffering from the effects of childhood abuse? Do you struggle with depression, anxiety, or interpersonal relationships? Are you and your partner considering couple’s counseling? Whether you’re coping with childhood trauma, battling depression or anxiety, or seeking support in your relationships, successful healing and growth in therapy require careful consideration and active participation. You must consider the connection with the therapist, do the work, and show up for yourself in and out of sessions to heal and grow.
The First Ingredient: The Therapeutic Relationship
Therapists are human too! There are many to choose from. Some may be good at their job, some maybe inexperienced, some may not follow the ethical code, and some may be down-right poor at their jobs.
The most essential ingredient for healing and growing is a healthy connection with your therapist. Be sure you feel safe in the office. Is it a comfortable environment? Does it seem to be a confidential space? Do you feel validated, listened to, and supported by the therapist? The relationship in counseling, with the therapist, is a good model for being in other healthy relationships. A good relationship with your therapist is essential for you to get the most out of mental health counseling.
The Second Ingredient: Be Open and Honest in Sessions
Being open and honest in therapy is extremely important. You can’t be helped and you can’t grow if you aren’t honest. It is just like a medical Doctor can’t help you if you don’t give all your medical information, a therapist can’t help if they don’t have all your information. Therapy should be judgement free (if it isn’t you may want to find a different therapist). Hard as it may be to open up the more you do the more the healing/growing process will work. Trust the process and be patient. Growth will happen!
The Third Ingredient: Show up
If you have scheduled a session do your best to make it to the session. Every session counts and the more you attend, the sooner you can heal and grow. Sickness and emergencies happen and your therapist should understand this. If you lay a path for change with consistency in showing up for counseling sessions a large part of the process is met. If you are inconsistent, cancel, a lot or don’t show up the therapist cannot help you and the therapeutic process will be significantly slower.
The Fourth Ingredient: Do Work Outside of the Counseling Office
Meeting with a therapist once a week, for 50 minutes or bi-weekly for 50 minutes is a great start! If you do work outside of sessions your chances of success and healing become much greater. Complete any homework you are given. Read and listen to suggested podcasts. Practice what you learn in counseling. Studies show the more you work on your mental health, in and out of the therapist’s office, the greater chance you have for positive change and growth.
If you are thinking about reaching out for mental health counseling to heal some past wounds, to grow and change, or to improve your relationships following the recipe for success, paying attention to the four ingredients, you will heal and grow to live a more fulfilling life!
Are you ready to do the worK? I am here to help. Contact me