You’re driving.
Therapy is surrounded by misconceptions. These misconceptions can be about who actually goes to therapy [only crazy people go to therapy], what a therapist’s office looks like [you lay on this long couch in a dark room while they take notes on your life], how treatment progresses [the therapist will make you do deep breathing to get over it], and a therapist will tell you what to do to overcome your challenges [just tell me what to do to feel better!].
Stop right there. That’s the one I want to address.
“A therapist will tell you what to do to feel better”.
That statement, thought, belief, misconception [whatever you want to call it] is a fallacy. The best way I can describe therapy is that we are passengers in your car, on your journey, and you are the one driving.
Television and movies have created many of the misconceptions out there regarding therapy. I borrowed the little commentary lines above from things I’ve heard on the big screen. Yes, therapy is a place to go to feel safe, talk about the the darkest and lightest parts of life, and we do usually have a couch in our offices. However, our main role as licensed mental health professionals is to listen. Therapy is a judgement free zone where you can express yourself and hear different points of view on situations your are experiencing. Therapists provide ideas of how to live an emotionally healthier life without directives on what needs to or should be done. Therapists are completely objective as it is your journey; we are simply there to support you when needed, however it is needed.
Another misconception is that every session held will be life altering. That every session will be one where you have a major breakthrough with an “Aha!” moment. Nope, not true. There can be sessions where it seems like there is nothing to talk about when in reality there is always something for the therapist to listen to. Therapy sessions do not always have to be focused on the negative aspects of your life. If you had a great week, we are there to listen to the positive and happy times just as we are for the negative and challenging times.
If misconceptions are making it hard for you to start the engine, ask a therapist to clarify. We love rectifying the falsehoods and helping you feel more comfortable in starting your journey. It could be a bumpy road but with support, you too can find peace by gaining perspective. A truth to therapy is you never have to do it alone with a therapist in the passenger seat.