Healing in Therapy | Letter from a Therapist
September 8, 2023
Letter from a therapist about what healing in therapy entails. How do you know if you’re on the path to healing in therapy? What is your therapist’s role? What is your role?
THE THERAPY PROCESS
Embarking on the journey of therapy is a brave step towards nurturing our mental well-being and discovering our true selves. It’s a transformative process that creates a safe, non-judgmental space for exploring thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Therapists and clients collaborate to navigate life’s challenges and uncover profound insights, leading to powerful breakthroughs.
The process of therapy is not always straightforward; it involves navigating uncertainty and facing emotions we may not fully understand. However, it is within this exploration of the unknown that we find the potential for healing, growth, and self-discovery. Let’s dive into the various aspects of the therapeutic journey and explore its purpose, structure, and the opportunities for personal transformation.
Starting Therapy
In the initial sessions, our therapists’ focus is on establishing a connection with you and exploring whether we can work together effectively. Each session is flexible and tailored to your unique needs, allowing us to delve into the nuances of your struggles and their origins. Understanding how these challenges impact your inner world and daily life is vital, and your therapist will be there to guide you through the process of understanding your emotional life.
We’ll navigate this journey together. If you have any uncertainties or concerns about therapy, feel free to share them. There’s no rigid formula for how to go about each session because everyone’s experiences and feelings are different. Depending on your needs and situation, these initial sessions can involve understanding your background, reasons for seeking therapy, and the specific challenges you’re facing. This assessment may involve questions about your personal history, family, relationships, and any relevant mental health concerns.
As you approach the end of the initial sessions, we can check in to see how you feel about continuing. While a few sessions won’t reveal everything, your therapist can offer tentative impressions and ideas for your future work together. Our understanding and approach will continuously evolve throughout the therapy process of exploring and addressing what’s going on with you as an individual.
Weekly Appointments
The consistency and frequency that you attend therapy appointments matter! Countless research studies and decades of clinical outcome reviews have proven that weekly sessions are key to clinical outcome success. Just like anything else in life, consistency is key. A person doesn’t reach their goals through erratic and inconsistent behavior.
Meeting regularly on a weekly basis will help build safety and trust, which is essential for the work to progress on a deeper level. Often, meeting less frequently results in a ‘catch up’ type of session and does not allow for the time, space, and emotional capacity needed to address what goes on beneath the surface.
To make the most of each session, you are encouraged to come to each session open and ready to talk about what has been on your mind and what you would like to work on or address.
The Non-Linear Nature of Therapy
Therapy is a profound and transformative process, yet it does not follow a linear path due to the complexities of the human mind and emotions. Each person’s experiences, traumas, and coping mechanisms are unique, leading to diverse responses to therapeutic interventions. As therapists, we collaborate with clients to understand their specific needs and tailor treatment accordingly, recognizing that what works for one individual may not work for another. The fluidity of therapy allows us to adapt to the evolving needs and circumstances of each client, embracing the non-linear nature of healing.
Throughout the therapeutic process, clients may encounter a wide range of emotions, from relief and hope to frustration and confusion. It’s natural to have days when progress feels overwhelming or unclear, and these fluctuations are an integral part of the healing journey. We encourage clients to grant themselves permission to experience and process all the emotions that arise, knowing that growth can occur in unexpected bursts.
At our practice, we strive to address the root causes of mental health challenges rather than adhering to a prescribed formula. This approach demands flexibility and adaptability, as therapy is highly personalized to suit individual circumstances. By embracing the non-linear nature of therapy, we foster a more holistic and genuine transformation that supports clients on their unique path to well-being.
Developing Self-Awareness
The consistency and frequency that you attend therapy appointments matter! Countless research studies and decades of clinical outcome reviews have proven that weekly sessions are key to clinical outcome success. Just like anything else in life, consistency is key. A person doesn’t reach their goals through erratic and inconsistent behavior.
Meeting regularly on a weekly basis will help build safety and trust, which is essential for the work to progress on a deeper level. Often, meeting less frequently results in a ‘catch up’ type of session and does not allow for the time, space, and emotional capacity needed to address what goes on beneath the surface.
To make the most of each session, you are encouraged to come to each session open and ready to talk about what has been on your mind and what you would like to work on or address.
What happens after the initial sessions?
After the initial appointments, the general goal of the next phase is to go deeper beyond the surface to understand your challenges, struggles, when and where they show up, your history, past therapy etc. This takes time. After all, your difficulties didn’t start overnight.
We want to understand what you are experiencing, how you got here, what you have or have not tried, and what will likely work best to help you. If it makes sense, coping strategies may be explored as well.
Not sure what to talk about in therapy? Here’s a blog with tips.
You may find that as your therapist guides you via questions and dialogue about these aspects of yourself, you begin to have a clearer understanding of your patterns, emotional process, and issues, which helps in figuring out how to best tailor our approach to the specific goals and issues at hand.
The work of therapy
Because therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. Usually, growth cannot occur until past issues are experienced and confronted, often causing distressing feelings.
The good news is that therapy has also been shown to have benefits for people who go through it. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress.
The success of therapy depends upon the efforts of both your therapist and you. While your therapist is there to guide you and point you in the direction of growth, healing, and change, you are the one who decides what you want to do with the different perspectives and strategies offered. It can be an empowering process to take what is done in therapy and implement these practices in your everyday life!
Therapy takes time; it is a process, after all. It's a marathon, not a sprint!
How Long Does Therapy Last?
Therapy can last any time between a year to many more, as long as you are still progressing from our work. The length of therapy depends on what you want and need, and what you want/need can be fluid and dynamic. Healing and personal growth is not strict or predictable. You can start off by wanting to address something very specific (e.g. “I want to feel less anxious”), but through our work together could realize a deeper meaning to these anxious symptoms (e.g. “I feel anxious because I am terrified of intimacy” to “I’ve had very familiar experiences of being emotionally suffocated when I was close to people”).
Realizing these deeper long-standing issues may then shape the focus and length of treatment. Regardless of why you are seeking therapy and how long you hope to be in treatment, it is important to remember that your thoughts and input are invaluable to me, and the pace and length of treatment will always be a collaborative discussion.
Get started with these 3 steps.
Prioritize your mental health and self-care from the comfort of your home.
Schedule a phone consult here. We’ll chat about any questions you might have, and it’ll be an opportunity for me to learn more about you and what you’re going through.
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