Between getting a bachelor’s in psychology, a master’s in counseling, and providing nearly 20 years of psychotherapy to clients, I’ve been around the mental health world for most of my life. I’ve heard a lot of things about therapy…the good, the bad, and the downright untrue.
While therapy is a lot more mainstream than it was when I entered the field, there’s still a lot of hype. Let’s explore some myths about therapists and therapy…
Myth #1: Therapists are mind-readers.
While nearly 20 years working with thousands of people can give a gal an edge on what people are thinking and experiencing, mind-reading is not a skill I’ve mastered. Nor has any therapist. Therapists are professional listeners, diagnosticians, and observers. We pick up on a lot. Many of us are highly intuitive. But we cannot read minds. We can predict what you might be thinking or feeling based on the information you share and our extensive training and experience, but any good therapist knows that predictions are not always accurate and that our job is to help you be a better you.
Myth #2: Therapists just listen to problems all day.
The physical act of listening is a small fraction of what we do. We listen to not only the words, but the subtext, meaning, and context. We are like detectives, connecting pieces of a greater puzzle, gathering clues, to help you solve whatever issue you’ve come to us for. We listen without judgement, and let’s get real here…with everything going on in the world between the pandemic, politics, and racism, that is not always easy. We must listen to understand, but then we take that understanding to the next level to give you feedback and devise a plan to help. We then bear witness to your growth, guide you along the way, and help you process through the tough stuff. Therapy may start with listening, but there’s a lot more involved.
Myth #3: Therapists just give advice.
Friends and family give advice. Therapists don’t. In fact, the whole point of therapy is to get away from advice and find solutions based on best practice research and an objective point of view. Advice is laden with judgement about what someone should or shouldn’t do. Therapy is a process of discovering what could work for you and provides a safe environment for you to explore, try new things, and NOT be judged.
Myth #4: If I go to therapy, there must be something wrong with me.
It’s true that most clients seek therapy because they are struggling with something. That means there’s something wrong. But it doesn’t mean there is something wrong with them. Because our mind is involved, we tend to believe the thoughts swirling up in there. The thoughts that say nasty things about us, like how we’re not good enough and not worthy. Thoughts can be deceiving. Someone seeking therapy may have a problem with the thoughts they think and/or how they are thinking rather than who they are fundamentally. Many people even seek (or stay in) therapy to learn more about who they are and strengthen things that are already working fairly well.
Myth #5: Therapy will fix me.
While therapy can yield some amazing results, it is not about fixing. The act of going to therapy is one step in the process. You must do the work, feel the feels, and make the shifts in order to see results in your own life. Sometimes working with a therapist gives you a different perspective and new tools to use. This is enough for many people to see results.
Are you a woman in Arizona interested in seeing if therapy might help you? I invite you to book a free 15-minute phone consult to see how I might help. Click the BOOK FREE CONSULT button to schedule now.
