Some Questions To Ask Yourself
If after a reasonable amount of sessions you feel like no progress in therapy has been made, you should ask yourself the following questions.
1. Does my therapist specialize in treating my area of need?
If you signed up with the first therapist you searched for on the internet, it may be that the therapist you choose to work with does not specialize in your certain area of need. If that’s the case, you may be better off making a switch in providers and interviewing multiple therapists before you find one that specializes in what you need. Ask about their work experience, and types of clients they work best with to make sure it’s a match before you get started.
2. Have you identified clear goals with your therapist that you hope to achieve through working together?
The best way to determine your progress (or lack of) is to refer back to the goals you set initially with your therapist. Evaluating where you are today in relation to those goals may give you some perspective. Could it be that you’ve actually made more progress than you think? Long term changes take some time. If you really feel like no progress has been made towards your goals at all, have a discussion with your therapist about the best way to gain some momentum towards meeting them.
3. Have you been given any tools or techniques that you can use to help combat your symptoms?
Your therapist should be giving you practical and useful techniques that you can use in your everyday life when you feel your symptoms coming on. If they haven’t, ask for some! That could play a huge part in why you’re feeling like therapy is not working.
4. Are you “clicking” with your therapists personality?
If you and your therapist don’t connect on a personal level, it will be challenging to make progress since the nature of talk therapy is very relational. If you just don’t feel like your “clicking”, it might be time to start looking for someone else to work with. If there’s something that your therapist is doing, or a certain way they are acting that is preventing you from letting your guard down then have a conversation with them about it. Remember, their role is to make you feel as comfortable as possible and help you towards your goals. Most therapists will be very receptive to any feedback you give them.
5. Are you listening with an open mind to your therapists feedback and are you engaged in the process?
Therapy only works if you’re 100% engaged and ready to make some changes. It’s not easy and it’s a lot of work. If you’ve tried therapy for a reasonable amount of time and it’s not working, ask yourself if there’s anything you can do to be more engaged.
6. Is talk therapy the best method for you?
Talk therapy isn’t always the best method of mental health treatment for everyone. It could be completely possible that there’s a better method out there for you. There are a ton of different types of therapy that can all be helpful towards treating mental health concerns. Here’s another blog on some alternative types of therapy you may want to look into.