Why Go to Therapy?

You might be wondering what therapy is for or how it can help. You may have tried it in the past and found it unsatisfying or even harmful. Different therapists will have different ideas about how to answer this question, and finding the right fit is important. Therapy should make you feel heard and should also challenge and engage you. You should feel comfortable enough with the relationship to be free with your thoughts, feelings, and emotions without feeling judged. If a therapist doesn’t seem to be “getting” you, has an approach that makes you feel invalidated, uncomfortable, or unsafe, it’s time to speak up or move on. You’re under no obligation to stick with a therapeutic relationship that’s not therapeutic.

If it feels comfortable, let the therapist know what’s missing or what you’d like to see happen differently. Therapy should make you feel empowered, and as though the relationship with the therapist itself has a healing and nurturing quality that sustains you and helps you grow.

This doesn’t mean your sessions shouldn’t be hard! Sometimes it’s okay to feel challenged in the therapeutic space. What makes it work is when the exchange continues to happen, the dynamic between you doesn’t get in the way of the work, and when you feel like you’re getting to the heart of what you want. There are many therapists out there – your task, if you choose to accept it, is to find ones that understand, respect, and support YOU. <3