So you have started therapy. Eager to meet your goals and “do it right”. I hate to burst your bubble but you can’t do therapy right or check off a box to heal, it’s a process that waxes and wanes with time. However, you can try to make the most of it. There are ways to engage in the therapy process to set you up for the success of meeting the goals you originally came for. The following is five ways you can make the most of therapy.
1. Come often enough.
This means every week or every other week. Progress in therapy can be very challenging going less than this. When you only come once every three to four weeks, so much happens in between. You can end up spending most of your time catching your therapist up rather than getting to the meat of the work. Then this can leave you frustrated you aren’t making the progress you want and blame the therapy rather than the frequency.
2. Share your confusion and frustrations with your therapist.
Therapy can be a frustrating process. Sometimes you may even be hurt by your therapist, we are human too. Sharing that with your therapist could help. Often times they can share perspective or answer questions that could help your process. Or just hold space to repair when you have been hurt. If all you can do is say to your therapist “I am frustrated with therapy.” Then say it, our job is to be patient and help understand what is going on.
3. Set goals.
Imagine what it would be like to succeed in therapy and leave feeling like you met your reasons for coming. Come up with goals for your time in therapy. This can also help determine if you are done with the process before quitting too soon or staying too long in therapy. Even if your goals are vague, your therapist can help you make them more specific and clear.
4. Write it down.
Some sessions can feel like you discussed ten different topics with many new thoughts or revelations. By writing them down, not only do you use a different part of your brain to process but you also can come back to them. It is another way to look at your progress over time. Several months later you could be doing the very thing you wrote down.
5. Think about your discussions outside of therapy.
It can be easy to forget about what was discussed in your therapy session. Like I mentioned before, your notes from therapy can help. Look at them often. Set time aside to reflect on how you can allow what you are learning be integrated in your every day. Even just thinking about it more often can help.
We can help you with therapy and make them most of it. Reach out today to get started!