The right therapist for you.
Therapy is a choose you make and an important one, so its equally important that you find the right therapist for you, someone that you feel that you can talk to, feel safe with and know that confidentiality is paramount in their practice.
The problems you face.
You must be under no illusion that what you are about to embark upon will be challenging, as you bring your issues, frustrations, thoughts and difficulties to the therapy sessions, you will meet with self resistance as you begin to bring into awareness what is happening for you, this is normal and depending on what it is, it may take some time to explore and examine your feelings, thoughts before you can look at making progress towards change that is more appropriate to your current Adult position.
Be prepared for the unexpected.
From the outset you need to prepare yourself for listening to ideas that you may not have anticipated, as you move into areas of your past and how it influences your present, as your therapist brings this into your awareness and questions your beliefs, and patterns of behavior, some of which you feel have kept you safe but now in Adult are holding you back, but this is were the real work for change begins.
This is a two way process.
Never be afraid to ask any questions when you feel the need for answers, it is vital that you stay open to the fact that this is about you, your understanding and any questions you have will open up further discussion and give you more clarity in terms of what is happening for you.
Extending a therapeutic approach into your own lifestyle.
Look at ways to be kind to yourself, taking time out, even if it is just 10-15 minutes a day to begin with to sit and relax, then extend this into a pleasurable activity or just meeting up with friends at you favorite café to catch up. If your more into exercise look at what will give you pleasure whether that is joining a gym or doing classes in Yoga.
Find out what approach, method your therapist is applying.
It is always good to have a little understanding of what training and approach to therapy is being applied, for example I am trained in Transactional Analysis and during my first session with perspective clients I make them aware of this and give them a brief introduction it what that means for them. Then you can find out a little more and decide if it is right for you.
Change.
Just remember this is about you and about bringing resolution and change into being, It is a journey that will bring great benefits into your life, I know from my own experience as I am a living, breathing example of just that.
I hope this has been helpful and it has given you some insight into the therapeutic process and what that might mean for you as a client and the importance of finding the right therapist.
Stephen Murphy