What are your experiences in therapy?

Question

Good? Bad? Please share.

Answer 1

good, great, ok, lousy, and which one of us is the counselor?
i have had them all.

its like anything else, its your opinion that counts...
first, you need to click...or...feel comfortable...
right there, you have 2 different humans, with 2 different personalities...
find the personality you are the most comfortable with.

shop around...a good one, is irreplaceable...

kinda like shoes, get a good pair, make sure they are comfortable from the start, and as time goes on, you won't ever want to be without them, and time just makes the "relationship" more comfortable....

Answer 2

I can only answer as a Therapist and I will speak to those that have already answered your question.

I am sorry that any of you have had a bad experience with Therapy. It is directly atributed to the Therapist's ability to help you. In some ways it is like a Lawyer. The only good one is the one that won your case.

The therapist that kept asking "What if" is trying to use a type of Rogerian approach. Carl Roger created the "I'm Okay, You're Okay" approach. The idea is to not answer a persons questions, but to get the person to discuss the problem openly without being judged by the therapist. It isn't an easy way to provide therapy because the therapist is prone to their own personal emotions and experiences. This can be both a bad thing and a good thing.

Often when we verbalize a problem, we can examine the problem openly. When you sit and brood about a problem, the problem becomes scrammbled with many other thoughts and there usually isn't any clarity. However, by discussing the problem you are able to view the situation by your own words.

It is the Therapists requirment to provide the right environment. If you are uncomfortable with your Therapist, try another Therapist. There is that "Goodness of Fit" factor that each of you have over looked. Goodness of Fit means that sometimes people don't get along no matter what they do. And, sometimes we are a perfect match no matter how you try not to be.

But, remember: We don't get along with every not just because everyone is different, but also because you are different with everyone.

Therapy can be a good thing. Even most religions appreciate the idea of baring your soul. This is what therapy should be... A chance to grow, but it must be carried in an environment that inspires growth.

Answer 3

I've had good and bad experiences. The first therapist I had I really didn't enjoy--he didn't really seem to hear me ever, and the things he chose to look into further detail about really were not things that were relevant to me.
After him, I simultaneously saw a woman training to be a therapist (through my high school), and a professional therapist, and I enjoyed meeting with both of them for different reasons. The woman training was younger, and I felt like that allowed me to share more with her. She was a really good listener as well. The other woman was good too, though I felt a little less of a connection due to her age. Also, she often interjected her own personal experiences, which I had once been told a good therapist doesn't do, so that always biased me a bit.
Overall though, I've found a good therapist will feel like a good person to talk to, and a bad one really won't.

Answer 4

Therapy experiences can vary, because each therapist is different. For those who say that their therapy didn't do any good, they probably didn't have the right person. So, it is just a matter of finding the right match so that you have a good experience.

Answer 5

I tried therapy. I went to three appointments. And I wasn't impressed. I had NO connection with that woman. I tried. I really did. I just felt like she was just asking the basic questions and didn't really listen to my answers. I kept mentioning the person that has been causing so much anxiety in my life. She couldn't even get his name right. It would just annoy me. Not that I cared what the heck she called him, but it made me feel like she didn't hear a damn thing I was saying. I quit going. I never got a follow up call to see if I was okay or to get me to set up another appointment. Six months later I got a letter saying that since they haven't heard from me they are going to close my case. Oh.. Okay, fine by me. I haven't gone back to talk to a therapist since.

Answer 6

Not very satisfactory so far. Have had about 60 hrs therapy.
If I can't interact with the therapist as a person, what's the point in talking to him/her?

Answer 7

Bad. I'll never see another one again. The woman kept asking me "what if" questions - as if I don't ask myself those kinds of questions enough. I told her that I wanted to move to NY and go to school and she asked "what if you meet a guy?". I was appalled.

If you have issues - you should deal with them yourself. Look into yourself, confront yourself and make some changes - if a person is not willing to do that then I believe a person should quit complaining about their problems and get settled into being miserable.

Answer 8

Very, very good...and very, very bad.,

Good as far as the people I met in Dialectic behavioral therapy...a therapy made for people with borderline personalities...but so effective that people with personality disorders as well as mental illnesses are having success at changing their behaviour. I have met some terrific people....for the most part. Some are friends now.

But counselors, therapists, social workers and shrinks leave a lot to be desired. There is no noose around my neck...no ring through my nose. I will not be led like livestock from the barn to graze out in the field. I am human and will be treated as such. I have no problem firing shrinks...or writing up therapists for breach of common sense practice. I hold up my end of the treatment relationship and am always on top of my game. I expect the same from them. When they offer me excuses as to why they 'can't' do their jobs properly...I confront them peacefully but mercilessly. I don't believe in excuses...and will not tolerate them in someone who went to school for mental health.
This makes for some very amusing moments. The bad moments I experienced were like going to college for being obtuse. I was...and I used the bad moments experienced at the hands of mental health personnel to wise up...undergo massive paradigm shifts...and make the necessary shifts in my perceptions and alter my behaviour accordingly.
I am greatful to the many incompetent, arrogant and insecure workers in the field for the lessons they brought me...as much as I learned and was comforted and witnessed to by my peers going through therapy...the many nincompoops I have met on the other side of the stethoscope have taught me far more. About the depth of pettiness in the human condition...and why that is learned behaviour...and not human nature. And how to recognise the same in my own behaviour...and correct it. Bad in the beginning...and good now. I no longer have bad days...or bad interractions with workers in the field.

Of course I have met some awesome staff members...enlightened witnesses...complex human beings...with huge faults and hearts to match...and consumate professionals. Ana Ramos my first therapist, Tina ZK my last and beloved therapist, Victoria D my counselor from Citiview Connections, Cynthis L and Debra D from CSS...Sophie, Hannah, Arisai, Kathy and Katherine from CUCS. My love and much respect to all my witnesses...who supported me...without interfering...witnessed my path my pain and my joy...who challenged me to think and feel and do bigger things with my life...and left judgment at the door. To my witnesses in the field...I salute you in your passing...and won't bother thanking you...I will just internalize the life lessons and pass on what I have learned.
Hope this helps.

Answer 9

the first time was neither good nor bad, but didn't help. the last time i had a really good therapist and she really helped me see a lot. if you are not happy with the first one there are more out there...just be sure you give it enough time. sometimes it takes awhile to get comfortable or even get to the real issues...good luck!

Answer 10

My therapist was more like a friend than a shrink. We didn't sit in an office, we went out places, even if it was just Starbucks or walking around...She didn't ask questions like "how do you feel about that" or "what if", ya know...I felt like she really cared.
My suggestion? See if you can find someone like that...