Finding The Right Therapist

Finding a suitable therapist, right for both the partners can take time. Take into consideration:

• Both partners are comfortable with the choice.
• Any preferences (gender or cultural background) are taken into account.
• It should be convenient to schedule an appointment with him, not interfering with other commitments too much.
• At least two kinds of counselors are spoken to, and then a decision taken.
• Check online for recommendations or ask for a referral within your friend circle.

A good therapist can utilize multiple approaches and will tailor the provided therapy based on the couple's needs. The common therapies are:

• Gottman Method: Focused on positive communication
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): helps couples with their emotional needs.
• Imago Relationship Therapy: Connecting new relationships with old ones.
• Other approaches like Hypnosis, sex therapy, etc.

The world has gotten smaller due to social media, as everything is instantly visible to all.

A few years ago, we just had our neighbors to compare with and were oblivious of the rest of the world. Now everyone is accessible and comparisons are rife.

We have the smartphones that we carry with us 24/7, always able to catch what other people are up to and feel envious about it.

Even if we use logic and intellect to tell ourselves that the images that we see on social media may not be real or factual, as they can be edited/filtered, they still affect us on an emotional level.

There is a common misconception that going to therapy, you will lie down on a couch, staring at the ceiling, and talk while an emotionless professional sits near you and writes on a notepad.

Most therapists do have couches in their offices. But many people in therapy choose to sit and talk to their therapist, who often responds. 

Some methods of psychotherapy and complex issues may take some time, but many interventions are shorter. Also, many choose to stay in therapy after the issue that brought them has been addressed to better understand themselves and their thoughts.

Most mental health professionals treat mental illness by combining psychotherapy and medication or by therapy alone. Many clients choose the latter when they don’t need medication or think of it as burdensome. 

Untrained people can’t offer the same mental health benefits as a mental health professional could.

Your mental health is too big a responsibility to place on the people in your life. They will be there for you during hard times, but shouldn’t be a substitute for therapy.

You will need to feel safe and secure and establish a connection with your therapist. It is reasonable to try out a few until you find the right one.

The right therapist will encourage and support you in making uncomfortable changes.

Ask your community for mental health specialists recommendations. Consider asking your GP, family, friends or local community.

Once you have a few names, look up their qualifications and read up about them.

• Some therapists are just there to listen and provide a backdrop.
• Even the silence that they exhibit seems to kindle the patients into divulging more of their most uncomfortable truths.
• Others keep the sequence of assignments and tests lined up, never pausing.
• Therapists play varied roles to get some valuable information out of the patient and make him better.

No particular form of therapy is proven to be better or more effective than others.

Different people prefer or respond to different forms of therapy.

• It’s important to share your real struggles, support and fundings once you find success, or it gives a distorted and false impression to those struggling without any resources. There shouldn’t be a stigma attached to getting help from parents and spouses.
• It’s imperative to have transparency about money and understand that in any structure of privilege, the people at the top have to take into account what it means to people below them, who are struggling with meagre resources or a network of supporters.

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.

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.