People do form conceptualizations of psychotherapy based on media portrayals.While you may balance out fictionalized, sometimes-damaging depictions of professionals like physicians or teachers with your real-life experience with them, most people don’t have much or any experience with mental health professionals to balance out their fictionalized impressions.

Psychotherapy Misconceptions

Misconceptions may make it hard for you to pinpoint the threshold for significant psychological distress in yourself or others. And can add hurdles to successfully initiating psychotherapy or being willing to stick with it.Understanding what not to expect from the experience can help you approach treatment as an educated consumer with an open mind.

The Dangers Of  Psychotherapy Misconceptions

Some approaches take more time than others, but it is highly unlikely that lasting change for longstanding issues can be achieved in a few sessions of psychotherapy.The first appointments are to determine if (and what kind of) therapy can be helpful. You will talk about what led you to seek care and about medical, social, and family history to help the therapist get to know you better.

There's No 'Quick Fix'

It will require you, and your therapist, to take a hard look at yourself.&nbsp;You and your therapist will work together to (1) develop more awareness on what causes the problem, (2) understand how your current patterns affect you, and (3) experiment with different ways of thinking, doing, relating, and coping.

The Process Is Not Easy

You will share your intimate details but your therapist will not often reciprocate. He&nbsp;won’t often direct or evaluate your choices, as they won’t be dealing with their consequences.More commonly,&nbsp;your therapist will ask you questions and reflect what you said to help guide you in determining what you want to do and why. Your therapist may guide you to consider options and consequences you hadn’t, remind you about prior decisions (and their consequences) or flag repeated patterns.

You're Not Talking To Friend

Every therapist has their own particular therapeutic style, areas of clinical experience, and temperament.Like any relationship, the therapeutic one is subject to personal compatibility. You may not ‘click’ with your first therapist, or during the very first appointment. It may require a few sessions with different professionals to determine the best fit for you.

Therapists Are Different

<ul><li>Have they answered your questions to your satisfaction about your diagnosis, their clinical experience, and what treatment could involve?</li><li>Do they convey professionalism?</li><li>Do they ask thoughtful questions?</li><li>How comfortable do you feel talking openly with the therapist?</li><li>Do you like their style, including their extent of interaction with you, use of humor, ability to perceive and address your emotional state during a session?</li></ul>

Identifying The Best Fit

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In my experience consulting with patients who are considering whether or not to pursue psychotherapy to improve their mental health, the path to this decision is as varied as the people who travel down it.
Sometimes, it is the concern of a <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/gad-and-adjustment-disorder-1393126">friend, partner, or family member</a> that is the tipping point for an individual to seek help. In other cases, a teacher, school, colleague, or employer is insisting that mental health needs be prioritized above all else so that a person can return to school (or work) on better psychological footing.
Often, adults themselves are aware of ways in which they would like their relationships to be better, their mood or anxiety to feel more manageable, or of specific behaviors that they would like help to change; in these cases, people 'self-refer' in the interest of personal growth, symptom reduction, and overall improved quality of life.
Regardless of how you might arrive at the decision to try psychotherapy (or the <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/generalized-anxiety-disorder-treatment-4171993">type of talk therapy</a> you choose), you will arrive at your first session with a set of expectations including some misconceptions about the psychotherapy process.
If you are an outsider to the field of mental health, you may be among the general public who could benefit from help improving <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/increase-your-mental-health-literacy-about-anxiety-3893955">mental health literacy</a> (i.e., knowledge about mental disorders). This certainly makes sense and is not unique to the field of mental health. After all, non-lawyers don't typically know much about litigation. But it might make it hard for you to pinpoint the threshold for significant psychological distress in yourself or others (See this related post to <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/anxiety-how-much-is-too-much-1393146">distinguish 'normal' anxiety from generalized anxiety disorder</a>). And it can add hurdles to successfully initiating psychotherapy or being willing to stick with it.
The most readily accessible information on psychotherapy comes from <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/pro/37/5/506/">media portrayals</a>. Research has shown that people do form conceptualizations and expectations of psychotherapy based on the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11059991">illustrations they see in television and film</a>. And whereas you might be able to balance out fictionalized, sometimes-damaging depictions of other professionals like physicians or teachers with your real-life experience receiving medical care or education, it may be more challenging to <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2006-12438-012">counter stereotypes of mental health clinicians</a>, or the overall process of psychotherapy.
Understanding what not to expect from the experience can help you approach treatment as, as I like to think of it, an educated consumer with an open mind.
Here are some common but misguided expectations to try to leave at the door before you enter your session:
Don't expect a quick fix. There are a very limited number of problems for which one session of psychotherapy will be all the treatment that is required (Exceptions to this include single-session exposure therapy for some specific phobias in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18721635?dopt=Abstract">adults</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23957749?dopt=Abstract">teens, and children</a>.).
More commonly, psychotherapy will involve either a short- or long-term commitment. The first several appointments are typically used for you and your therapist to determine if (and what kind of) therapy can be helpful. You will be asked to talk about the specific concerns that led you to seek care, as well as elements of your broader medical, social, and family history that will help the therapist get to know you better.
For some people, it is quite uncomfortable to talk openly about their symptoms and history. For others, this is in and of itself a powerfully relieving experience. Regardless, it is highly unlikely that meaningful, lasting change or resolution for longstanding patterns of thinking, relating, or behaving can be adequately achieved in a handful of appointments.
That said, it is reasonable to expect structured, present-focused approaches like <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cognitive-behavior-therapy-2795747">cognitive behavioral therapy</a>, interpersonal psychotherapy, or <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/acceptance-commitment-therapy-gad-1393175">acceptance and commitment therapy</a> to be time-limited. Psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, on the other hand, which focus on the exploration of unconscious desires and processes are likely to require a greater time investment.
In most cases, the process will not be easy. Psychotherapy is work. It will require you to take a hard look at yourself. You will not be alone in this; your therapist will be working hard too.
You will work together to (1) develop more awareness about exactly what is causing you a problem (for example, particular ways of thinking, avoidant behaviors, expressing or coping with various emotions, or communication style), (2) understand how your current patterns are serving you well and not so well, and (3) experiment with <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/information-on-emotions-2797573">different ways of thinking</a>, doing, relating, and coping.
Along the way, there are likely to be moments when you feel worse before you feel better. Talking about traumatic experiences, for example, might <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/sleep-disorders-4014648">disrupt sleep</a>. Confronting ways in which others have treated you poorly, or you have mistreated others, can lead to sadness and anger. <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-cope-with-generalized-anxiety-disorder-1393164">Facing something you are afraid of</a> -be it a rollercoaster, raising your hand in class, or deciding to get a divorce-can create more anxiety in the short-term. In your 'feeling worse moments', remember that the old patterns felt bad too. Perhaps it's worth giving it some time to see if this tough moment will give way to something better in the long run?
Talking with your therapist is not the same as talking to a friend. The therapeutic relationship differs from other relationships. It is not reciprocal, not a "two-way street." You will likely share intimate details of yourself with your clinician, and he or she will not be responding in kind. The uni-directionality of sharing is not intended to be harsh or withholding, nor is it any kind of indicator of your trustworthiness or likability to the clinician.
Rather, your therapist sets limits around what and when they will share personal information in order to keep the focus where it needs to be-on you and your goals-and in some types of therapy, to help you makes sense of your assumptions (or projections) about him or her as another way to learn more about yourself. The boundaries set by a therapist in some instances can also model for you ways of limit-setting with others.
Your therapist will not usually tell you exactly what to do, what decision to make, or that you've made the 'right' choice. Because your therapist will not be directly living out the consequences of your choices, he or she will typically refrain from overt instruction. There are certainly exceptions to this-namely, if there is a concern for your safety or anyone else's-that might lead your therapist to be more candid and directive with you than usual.
More commonly, your therapist will ask you questions to help guide you in determining what it is you want to do and why. He or she will reflect back what you've said to help you hear it with 'fresh ears' and facilitate a thorough examination. Your therapist may guide you to consider other options you had not imagined or to think through the positive, negative, and 'somewhere in between' consequences of taking a particular path.
If you work with the same therapist over an extended time frame, your therapist may be able to remind you about prior decisions (and their consequences) or flag repeated patterns. This may inform how you proceed with decision currently in front of you, or how you cope with its outcome.
Don't expect to 'click' with the first therapist you see. As unique as the therapeutic relationship is, it shares in common with other relationships that it involves two people coming together.
You are clearly the expert on you, and you arrive at your therapist's office with particular temperament and personal style, a perception of the active problems, and an idea of your goals for therapy. Your therapist is the mental health expert, and he or she is greeting you with their own particular therapeutic style, areas of clinical experience (including the type of therapy practiced, age or diagnostic group(s) typically served, etc.), and temperament.
You may not 'click' with the first therapist you see, or during the very first appointment. It may require a few sessions (possibly with a few clinicians) to determine the best fit for you.
Best fit is different for different people, but you consider the following questions as a helpful start in evaluating goodness of fit for yourself:

<ul>
	<li>Has the therapist answered your questions to your satisfaction about your diagnosis, his/her clinical experience, and what treatment could involve?</li>
	<li>Does the therapist convey professionalism (in conversation, in the office environment, in his or her description of practice policies regarding cancellation, emergencies, etc.)?</li>
	<li>Is the therapist asking thoughtful questions?</li>
	<li>Given any challenges for you in beginning psychotherapy, how comfortable do you feel talking openly with the therapist?</li>
	<li>Do you like his or her style, including their extent of interaction with you, use of humor, ability to perceive and address your emotional state during a session?</li>
</ul>

</div>

In my experience consulting with patients who are considering whether or not to pursue psychotherapy to improve their mental health, the path to this decision is as varied as the people who travel down it. Sometimes, it is the concern of a friend, partner, or family member that is the tipping point for an individual to seek help.

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

What Not to Expect from Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy Misconceptions

The Dangers Of Psychotherapy Misconceptions

There's No 'Quick Fix'

The Process Is Not Easy

You're Not Talking To Friend

Therapists Are Different

Identifying The Best Fit

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What Not to Expect from Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy Misconceptions

The Dangers Of Psychotherapy Misconceptions

There's No 'Quick Fix'

The Process Is Not Easy

You're Not Talking To Friend

Therapists Are Different

Identifying The Best Fit

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Background, Benefits, and Effectiveness - The Human Condition

Milieu Therapy: Background, Uses, and Effectiveness - The Human Condition

Get the facts about Psychotherapy

It's time to

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LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career