You have sought out a therapist to help you with your recovery from an addiction and its residual effects. In the course of your weekly or biweekly sessions you, with the guidance of your therapist, may uncover disturbing and painful events from the past. It may be then that you feel more attached to your therapist. It is as if they have become the number one person in your life. This can happen because the therapist feels like your lifeline to sanity and stability.
The nature of the client/therapist relationship cannot be anything more than therapeutic. They are not your friend with whom you can go out for coffee. You are paying them for their expertise and guidance. They are strictly there to help you attain your therapeutic goals. While you may feel they have become the number one person in your life, these feelings are temporary. It may take many weeks working with your therapist to achieve your goals, and when you do, it will be time to end your sessions.
If you feel you are not getting anywhere in therapy, it is important to talk it over with your therapist. In the end, both you and your therapist are responsible for meeting your goals. You are, because you have to decide to trust the recommendations of the therapist, open up, or stick your hands in your pockets and remain resistant to everything they offer or question. The therapist has an ethical responsibility to help you. If they cannot, if they’ve tried everything their training has taught them in an true and realistic effort to help you, then they need to end the work with you.
According to Psychology Today, signs that your therapy is working can include: Your life outside of your therapy session should improve, your social interactions and relationships should improve, your therapist/counselor focuses on the positive, laughter is part of the process, and therapy isn’t a marriage. An appropriate therapeutic relationship is based on mutual respect, trust and boundaries. Also, use your intuition to determine how well your therapy is moving forward.
When you go to therapy you are opening up and putting yourself in a most vulnerable position. If you don’t trust the therapist, then they may not be a good fit for you. Therapists are not gods, goddesses or saints, they are human. Trust your gut right from the beginning session. Remember, even though you are seeking therapy to find a form of help or relief, you are still in charge.
Cypress Lake Recovery offers treatment for addiction in a peaceful, remote, oxygen-rich environment. The program encompasses holistic addiction therapy for the mind, body, and soul. The focus is on physical, mental, and emotional well-being by generating the balance of life-enriching treatment, wellness, and healthy, sober, sustainable relationships. Call us to get started: 409-331-2204
