Giving Therapy, Another Chance

I’ve been approached by people who have had a bad experience with their first psychologist and have developed a reluctance to meet another. While having reservations is completely normal, giving up therapy is not going to be helpful.

Now, there can be various reasons why your first psychologist did not work for you;

The Alternative Route Taker
Some psychologists deviate from therapy and focus on alternative routes like Reiki or Tarot cards. While both have their own standing in therapy, if you want to focus on core therapy and alternative routes are not helping you, the psychologist should understand this. If not corrected, you might feel unsafe in a session.

The Judgemental Kind
When you visit a therapist, the foundation of it is that you expect a nonjudgemental environment where you can open up. If a psychologist is judgemental and critical of your behaviour, and life choices, you will end up feeling guilty and ashamed of yourself which is counterproductive.

Not a Good Listener
A good psychologist should be a good listener, first. Clients have come to me complaining about how their previous psychologist kept talking about his/her own life and kept interrupting the therapy process.

It is professionally very disturbing when clients don’t get what they deserve; a safe space where they can talk about their doubts, vulnerabilities, and disturbances. It is very difficult to trust another therapist after such experiences. These experiences can make you feel you’re in an unsafe environment. They can be threatening and make you feel scared and helpless.

The key is to NOT GIVE UP. After a not-so-satisfactory experience with a doctor, we do not give up. We find another doctor that suits our requirements and proceed with treatment for our ailment. Why give up after a bad therapy session?

There are some easy steps that I prescribe you do before booking a session with a therapist:

1. Ask to speak to them over a short phone call about their qualifications and their therapy approach. This will build confidence in your mind about the therapists and their work.
2. If you feel comfortable after the first call, you can proceed to share (briefly) what motivates you to seek therapy. This helps the therapist to understand your concerns and let you know if he/she is the right person for you.

I urge you to have trust in the mental health profession and give therapy another chance.