Saturday, November 10, 2007

Therapy FAQ, Part II

I thought of another one:

1. Why can't I just talk to my friends?
You can, and should. If that's enough, awesome.
But have you ever tried talking to a friend and had them either make it all about them, change the subject before you were done, or give you advice you didn't want or need? I've also found that lots of people don't really want to tell their friends everything.
A therapist is trained to keep the focus on you. Also, they're trained to spot potential problems like alcoholism or drug dependence, obsessive thoughts and compulsions. They can also help you get out of your own way, where a friend might be more like, "Yeah! Dump that no-good loser! How dare he go out with his friends!" or "C'mon - let's go get drunk." A therapist is probably not going to suggest that. (To their clients, at least). They also know how to keep secrets. And most of them are not that easily shocked. Believe me.
Another reason is that parts of the psyche are fragile. A therapist is trained to know when to push or confront you on something, and when to tread very carefully.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

My only experience w/ therapy was marriage couseling. We went to ONE session where Hubby and therapist both told me "our" marriage problems stemmed from me and that i should come back alone...

I felt like a sacrificial lamb slain on the altar.

I never went back and I didn't leave hubby - regretfully most days truth be told - but I have a question to add:

How can you convince someone that they should go to therapy? I'm convinced someone I know - okay it's my Mom- would benefit immensely.

What's thebest approach to use when she truly believes that you must be nuts to need a shrink?

 
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