Theraphists & counselors - Mental Health Message Board

kiehn · 11-06-2002, 04:30 PM

Does any one else have problems with finding a decent
theraphist or counselor that has actually helped or
done any good? I found plenty of friendly counselors
and even a couple I liked yet in the last 20 years I've only seen ONE counselor that was able to zero in on the problem at that time that I didn't even understand plus she was able to helped me as well.
I've talked with many people who have had similar experiences and have since lost faith in
counselors and theraphists. When I think about my own as well as others experiences of counseling/theraphy It really discourages and depresses me. I just don't
understand we're led to believe counseling is the answer to mental health problems yet 6 months down
the road you realize you're thousands of dollars in
the hole and no better off then you were 6 months ago.

zionspegasus · 11-08-2002, 01:39 AM

Well... I learned from personal experience that it depends on what you are looking for from a counselor or therapist. If you are looking for someone to identify and solve all your problems, that isnt going to happen. A good counselor or therapist will teach you to zero in on your own problems and will help you learn skills that will aid you in problem solving, but you still have to put that to work for yourself. In other words, you are still the one who has to solve those problems. OR one other thing you may walk away with is the ability to begin to deal with stuff that really doesnt have a solution, but is bothersome anyway. You may also gain insight into how you end up in problem situations, or into behaviors that you engage in but dont know why. If you are not getting any of these things from your counseling and/or therapy sessions, then it is time to either look for someone else, or review and see how the work you have done applies to problems you are having now.

tigeranne · 11-08-2002, 06:54 AM

I agree with the reply above. There a lot of friendly nice people in the field but that doens't mean they are effective therapists. I think a therapist and you need to agree on what the issue is, and agree on what you want out of therapy and what the best plan to do that is. so you both are on exactly the same page about what needs to happen. I also like being able to check in with progress after 4-5 sessions...am I getting anywhere that I wanted to go? I think I 'd wonder if my therapist couldn't tell me about how long treatment would take, couldn't identify any signs of progress, and we hadn't agreed on what "I-have-successfully-completed-treatment" would look like, and would move on to someone who could do those things.