Have you been in psychotherapy or counseling? Have you ever wondered whether it was actually beneficial or good for you or whether it was not? Here are some thoughts.
One view of psychotherapy is that it is an essential part of life’s existence. A second view is that much psychotherapy, though well-intended, amounts to theft because the therapist is unable and/or unwilling to deal with your personal situation. Read on...
The first view suggests that essentially psychotherapy is just what the word suggests: Therapy (benefit) for the psychic (mind). It is assisting a person to view life, problems, personal issues, difficulties, etc. in a manner different than they were previously viewed so that the person is better able to manage life. Before there were “psychotherapists” or “counselors,” there was plenty of “psychotherapy” or “counseling” going on. It just was not called by those terms and the persons doing the assisting were not titled a “psychotherapist.” Religious leaders, friends, older and more experienced people, teachers, spouses, and even the bartender were offering what was essentially some form of assistance to a person to learn better to manage life’s encounters.
Then, with all the other enlightenment in the world, along came official “psychotherapists” and “counselors.” These people had training. They had licenses. They were considered ‘experts.’ They had organizations promoting them. They were seen as the proper source of help for the psychic or for psychological and emotional problems. Originally, these experts dealt mainly with mentally ill people in hospitals. But as evolution of a practice would predict, these experts ultimately came into generalized existence in our daily life.
The second view is that psychotherapists and counselors are not particularly useful/beneficial to society. Rather, they are well-intended and honest, but due to various factors what results is not benefit, but organized, systematized, professionalized, legalized theft. Due to the psychotherapist’s own issues (whatever those may be–personal or professional), the result is that they prey upon client’s/patient’s weaknesses.
Hummm.....I seem to be talking smack about myself and many colleagues! Hold your gasping retorts for a minute. I did not claim psychotherapists ARE intentional thieves. I ask if what they do ultimately results in thievery or not? OR...more correctly and succinctly: Is the psychotherapist or counselor you attend/did attend a benefit or a thief? That is the true question. Personally, I think some few who are just thieves and many others who are excellent benefit...AND there are many in the middle.
How can you tell whether the person is a benefit or simply taking your money? I offer some thoughts:
1. What does the therapist do during your session? Talk, write, telephone, listen, sleep, shuffle papers, yawn, take notes, or ??? Maybe many or all of those?
a. Does the therapist listen to you and focus upon your problems? OR...
b. Does the therapist use much of the session pontificating about what you should do?
c. Does the therapist help you come to an understanding of how you can better manage your life? OR...
d. Does the therapist basically tell you what to do and send you home having solved your problems for you?
e. Does the therapist seem to understand your needs? OR...
f. Does the therapist seem to have a set plan to apply, no matter what you say?
g. Does the therapist spend a lot of session time explaining therapeutic approach being used? OR...
h. Does your therapist simply talk with you about the issues at hand?
i. Does the therapist seem bound to follow some book-derived model or approach in counseling? OR...
j. Does the therapist delve with you into your issues.
k. Does the therapist tend to use a lot of jargon or psychobabble or “correct psychotherapeutic terminology for the problem” and teach you to use the same language? OR...
l. Does the therapist talk to you in layman’s terms?
2. What do you do during your session? Talk, write, telephone, listen, sleep, shuffle papers, yawn, take notes, or ??? Maybe many or all of those?
a. Do you open up and allow the therapist to know your inner self? OR...
b. Do you just wait for and expect the therapist to divine out of thin air the inner you?
c. Do you have a clear idea, when you begin therapy, of what you believe your problems to be (whether or not they are the real problems). OR...
d. Do just go into psychotherapeutic expecting to be told everything?
e. Do you go into psychotherapy with the goal to obtain help? OR...
f. Are you just seeking a friend, even if that friend costs $150.00/hour?
g. What is your goal when you enter psychotherapy; have you thought about it?
h. If you are forced to go the a psychotherapist (court order, by your parents, law enforcement, etc), do you go with the attitude that even though you do not want to be there you intend to get some sort of benefit? OR...
i. Do you just go with a resentful and evasive attitude?
There are some thoughts. You decide whether psychotherapy is of benefit or if it was just organized, legalized, well-meaning theft.