I am in the process of finding a new therapist. It has been years since I have had a very helpful therapeutic relationship. It was like paying a friend to empathize with me in my most recent experience with a therapist. In the past, I have experienced therapy where I was doing a lot of work on my own, including questioning and prodding. And I would want the majority of answers to be coming from me. Someone to bounce ideas, situations, especially reoccurring situations off of and get some clarity. I use journaling and my support network to come to my own conclusions about theories and questions. I need to conduct a lot of work on my own, not just have an empathetic person on the other end.
Finding a therapist that specializes in a particular area can be helpful too. Such as drug and alcohol counseling or a therapist that has a specialty in trauma. I am currently looking for someone who can address the trauma in my life. It's also a bit dependent on chemistry. Upon meeting a new therapist I have to feel comfortable sharing every aspect of my life, thought patterns, and actions. I have an immense support network outside of the therapy relationship and I feel I can not burden them with some symptoms or aspects of my disorder. I also have to decide whether I want to seek a male or female. Most importantly I need to feel safe in the therapeutic relationship.
Take good care,
Christine
"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." -- Maya Angelou
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