There are a lot of therapists. There are tons of styles that people employ to help people. Fortunately, after a couple of decades in this nascent science we call psychology, we have a ton of research to help point us in the direction of what works and what doesn't.
The results are in: a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy offer the best chance to make therapeutic gains, and to ameliorate symptoms. Baffling is that some therapies (we will exercise our reserve here and not name names) were found to be as useful as simply letting time pass. For those keeping score at home... letting time pass is FREE!
Here is the differentiation. If you come to a therapist's office with a problem, and they give you some useful advice to follow, you might have a good result. Great! You have have an exceptional result? Fantastic! Right? Nothing could be more horribly WRONG!
What are you going to do the next time a problem arises? Are you going to have a counselor on retainer forever to perpetually peddle advice for you? I suppose you could, but isn't the point of counseling to help you become a better version of yourself? Turning you into an instruction (read: advice) following robot is not our goal.
Counseling, rather than being a live, in-person advice column, should be teaching and preparing you to be your own counselor. A good counselor would rather be tarred and feathered than answer a direct question. It's not because we are playing hard to get, or head games, or "analyzing you", it's because a good counselor knows the value of having their client come to the correct answer of their own accord. The "aha!" moment is the most valuable and precious moment that we can engender.
Do not seek out counselors that willingly give you advice, rather, seek a counselor who will teach you to become your own teacher, and once you are a teacher, impart the wisdom you have discovered. Become a light in the world for someone else.
Pursuit of Happiness
The results are in: a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy offer the best chance to make therapeutic gains, and to ameliorate symptoms. Baffling is that some therapies (we will exercise our reserve here and not name names) were found to be as useful as simply letting time pass. For those keeping score at home... letting time pass is FREE!
Here is the differentiation. If you come to a therapist's office with a problem, and they give you some useful advice to follow, you might have a good result. Great! You have have an exceptional result? Fantastic! Right? Nothing could be more horribly WRONG!
What are you going to do the next time a problem arises? Are you going to have a counselor on retainer forever to perpetually peddle advice for you? I suppose you could, but isn't the point of counseling to help you become a better version of yourself? Turning you into an instruction (read: advice) following robot is not our goal.
Counseling, rather than being a live, in-person advice column, should be teaching and preparing you to be your own counselor. A good counselor would rather be tarred and feathered than answer a direct question. It's not because we are playing hard to get, or head games, or "analyzing you", it's because a good counselor knows the value of having their client come to the correct answer of their own accord. The "aha!" moment is the most valuable and precious moment that we can engender.
Do not seek out counselors that willingly give you advice, rather, seek a counselor who will teach you to become your own teacher, and once you are a teacher, impart the wisdom you have discovered. Become a light in the world for someone else.
Pursuit of Happiness
Chase Chick MPA LPC is CEO and co-founder of Pursuit of Happiness
You can follow us at @POHClinicBTGS
You can follow us at @POHClinicBTGS
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