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Good Help is Hard to Find – The Therapist Shortage Continues
With the shortage of therapists still going on, a lot of people are having a really hard time finding the right therapist to work with them, or with finding anyone at all. Sometimes you might have a therapist who has less experience than you’d want, or who has a particular bias or doesn’t understand something that’s important to you. In this case, the question you’re probably asking yourself is: Should I continue? Can this be a healthy therapeutic relationship?
What’s Part of a Healthy Relationship With Your Therapist, And What’s a Dealbreaker?
Therapists are people – they have their own beliefs and opinions, but they are trained to be neutral in the therapeutic environment, so if you’re worried your therapist has a bias, you should bring it to their attention.
It’s one thing if you feel that you disagree on something, but a hard no for me is – if you don’t feel respected, valued, heard by your therapist – that’s a dealbreaker. Those are the things you should be getting from the therapeutic relationship, those are the things you’re paying for, so it’s probably time to find someone else. But the first step is to let your therapist know that that is what your experience is. They can maybe help you figure things out and make the relationship work.
Watch the podcast on YouTube here.
Making Therapy Work for You and for Your Relationship
Couples counseling is highly effective in helping couples to manage conflict in a healthy way, develop a deeper connection, and heal their relationship, but individual therapy is important, too. In fact, I recommend that couples entering counseling together also pursue individual counseling. When you have private sessions with your own therapist, you have your own safe space to work through your feelings first, so you can better understand them and present them to your partner. Many people find this very helpful, and it can elevate your couples sessions.
If you’re ready to lead the life you want and have the relationship you’ve always desired, This LoveWorks can help. We offer couples counseling, hypnotherapy, pre-marital counseling, online courses, and couples workshops and retreats.