One important piece of advice I can give you when looking for a therapist; find someone who has more life experience than you do. Someone who puts you directly at ease and in whose advice you trust.
This was not the case for me… The therapist I went to see was a good 15 years my junior, fresh out of University and had very little life experience of her own. She also had the annoying habit of pointing out the blatantly obvious, without ever taking into consideration the actual ramifications of her futile statements.
Things came to a head one day when she told me, not even suggested, that I had to move out of my lovely apartment and find somewhere cheaper to live. Like the thought had never crossed my mind, considering our previous long discussion about my then financial situation. I was frustrated and angry all at the same time. Angry with her for once again stating the obvious and frustrated with myself for letting my life get so out of hand.
That session did not end well; I got up from my chair and let her know, in no uncertain terms, that she had over stepped the mark before leaving her office and never returning!
Articles & Post you may find interesting:
- How to choose a therapist (dirtydepression.wordpress.com)
- How can I benefit from a therapist who doesn't seem very smart? (ask.metafilter.com)
- Psychiatrists under fire in Mental Health battle (guardian.co.uk)
2 comments:
I remember being that girl. Sort of. I went into counseling straight out of my master's (which I took in counseling education) and I agree with you about being the one in the room with more experience. The problem was that I would have been better suited for social work, where it's okay to tell your client to get up off their duff and do this, that, or the other. Not so much in counseling and I knew that, so in the end I was probably just as frustrated at the end of sessions as my clients were with all the um-hming and head-nodding and question-asking ("so why do you think it went like that?"). I then went into work with kids on lock-down, but that was even worse because I too had to be on lock-down to have sessions with them. I eventually left the field altogether. And having had the experience of being a patient myself was no picnic either... Good for you for sticking to your ideals. Know thyself, as they say...
The difference between you and my therapist is that you realised this all by yourself. The woman sent me an email after I walked out demanding an explanation and an apology. I never responded, I didn't see the point of massaging her ego!
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