August 25th, 2017

The ABC's of Good Therapy!

Blog 6 – The ABC’s of Therapy
 

• A – Actions! Actions DO NOT speak louder than words! Words, words, word, it’s what therapy is all about,
• B – Believing! Believe in yourself and your ability to heal. Do not put your belief in the magical powers of the therapist.
• C – Caring! A caring warm therapist will keep the space safe for you.
• D – Discussion! You can talk about something just as long as you need to. You cannot say too much.
• E – Empathy! Empathy on the therapist’s part is extremely important. If she seems dismissive of your feelings, LEAVE!
• F – Finances! Finances should be open and clear between therapist and patient. Everything should be in writing and mutually agreeable.
• G – Gifts! Gifts are a no-no in therapy. Neither patient or therapist should give or receive presents.
• H – Hearing! If you believe your therapist is not hearing you, say it again! Insist on being heard!
• I – Irrational! You are allowed to be!
• J – Judgement! The therapist should never make you feel judged or ridiculed for anything you think or say. Therapy is the one place you should be able to say exactly what you think, or feel, without judgement.
• K – Kindness! Kindness does not mean the therapist will always agree with you, however, even in disagreeing, she must be kind about it.
• L – Laughter! Embrace laughter and light moments between you and your therapist. Both you and she are real people. Laughter can bring relief in heavy moments.
• M – Money! Do I need to say it again? Everything clear and open, and in writing!
• N – Narrate! You get to tell your own story. You are the authority on you.
• O – Opinion! You also have the right to your own opinion! Do you see a theme here?
• P – Patience! Your therapist should always be patient with you. Therapy should happen on your schedule, not the therapist’s schedule. Take all the time you need!
• Q – Questions! Never be afraid to ask questions. If something doesn’t seem right, or you don’t understand something … ask for clarification, as many time as you need to. You have a right to know! Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion if something seems wrong.
• R – Respect! Your therapist should always show you respect! If you feel disrespected, say something! If it doesn’t end, leave!
• S – Space! The therapist’s office should be a safe, nurturing space. If they don’t care enough to keep the space clean and attractive, it speaks volumes about how much they value you.
• T – Truth! Always speak the truth and expect truth in return. Often a therapist will refrain from telling you what they are thinking, but they should never, ever say something that isn’t true.
• U – Unity! You and the therapist should discuss goals for your therapy and there should always be a unity of purpose between you.
• V – Veracity! Because I can’t say, too often, how important it is that the therapist be honest and truthful in everything they do in therapy. You must be able to trust them!
• W – Wisdom! Hopefully!
• X – eXit … what you should do if any of these ABC’s are in question!!
• Y – Yak! Well, you try and think of something for Y!
• Z – Zebra! I don’t want the Yak to be lonely!