About Myths in Psychotherapy....
Myths and biases regarding psychotherapy are things I pursue in session with my clients. By this I mean, when I am aware such biases are operating in our session, I will work on clarifying these with you. However, sometimes is good to read about them ahead of time since psychotherapy is a process many are not able to understand before coming to therapy. Here are some things I want to share with you:
Therapy will cure psychological symptoms in a few sessions. I acknowledge it might be a scary thing to read that psychological symptoms will not be cured in a few sessions. However, it is important to be realistic about the process so you come to therapy with the right expectations. There are therapeutic treatments and modalities that promise to decrease your depression in twelve sessions. However, I believe it is important to work with what is causing your symptoms and not only the symptom. Sometimes it might be a combination of biological but also, psychological and social situations in your life that might need you to give some attention. The symptoms will fade away as long as you put the right amount of time and commitment in understanding yourself as a whole as well as finding ways to manage your life differently.
Therapy is not worth trying because important things should be discussed with family, friends and not with a stranger such as a therapist. I think this myth is sustained by the fear of the unknown. It is hard to trust someone you do not know. Some have the expectation that therapy is about opening up to a stranger in the first session which can be very scary. Therapy is a relationship and you will disclose your problems with time and as long as you feel safe in the relationship. There is going to come a time in which the therapist will become someone familiar with whom you might feel more comfortable sharing. There are also questions about what therapy is good for or what is supposed to happen in these meetings. Therefore, people prefer to talk to the familiar friend or family member. I have to say, as well intentioned family members and friends can be, sometimes they lack the skills to work with you, they might be uninformed about the issues you are facing, some might be very cruel and judgmental, they might not have the time to talk to you when you need it, they might feel drained and conflicted about your disclosure, and there is no guarantee they will not tell your deepest secrets to someone else. Clients have said to me they enjoy the fact they can talk to someone outside of their social circle getting a different perspective and a sense of safety regarding confidentiality.
I prefer to go to a priest or a spiritual leader to manage my problems. I do not want to underestimate the power of the relationship you can have with a spiritual leader. They can be very important in someone's life and part of your supportive network. However, their area of expertise is not human behavior or psychological issues. Even pastors and ministers have been in psychotherapy at some point in their lives. They know reading the scriptures or praying is not enough.
In order for therapy to be successful, my therapist should be from the same race, culture or ethnic background I am. As a therapist, I believe having a therapist from your same background might help but not always. It might help if you come from a minority group, you are adapting to this new culture, you feel misunderstood and need someone who might speak not only your same language, but who understands the different ways in which you relate to the world which is far different from what a mainstream person in the US could understand. There is that sense of commonality that develops when working with someone who shares our same cultural, racial and ethnic background. HOWEVER, working with someone from a different race, culture or ethnic group can potentially help your growth by helping you move out of your comfort zone and challenging you in many ways. It can give you that outsider's perspective that can potentially help you deepen your reflection about the ways in which you live your life. It is a potential for reflection about our own biases regarding culture, race or ethnicity. It is a chance to think outside the box.
Therapy will cure psychological symptoms in a few sessions. I acknowledge it might be a scary thing to read that psychological symptoms will not be cured in a few sessions. However, it is important to be realistic about the process so you come to therapy with the right expectations. There are therapeutic treatments and modalities that promise to decrease your depression in twelve sessions. However, I believe it is important to work with what is causing your symptoms and not only the symptom. Sometimes it might be a combination of biological but also, psychological and social situations in your life that might need you to give some attention. The symptoms will fade away as long as you put the right amount of time and commitment in understanding yourself as a whole as well as finding ways to manage your life differently.
Therapy is not worth trying because important things should be discussed with family, friends and not with a stranger such as a therapist. I think this myth is sustained by the fear of the unknown. It is hard to trust someone you do not know. Some have the expectation that therapy is about opening up to a stranger in the first session which can be very scary. Therapy is a relationship and you will disclose your problems with time and as long as you feel safe in the relationship. There is going to come a time in which the therapist will become someone familiar with whom you might feel more comfortable sharing. There are also questions about what therapy is good for or what is supposed to happen in these meetings. Therefore, people prefer to talk to the familiar friend or family member. I have to say, as well intentioned family members and friends can be, sometimes they lack the skills to work with you, they might be uninformed about the issues you are facing, some might be very cruel and judgmental, they might not have the time to talk to you when you need it, they might feel drained and conflicted about your disclosure, and there is no guarantee they will not tell your deepest secrets to someone else. Clients have said to me they enjoy the fact they can talk to someone outside of their social circle getting a different perspective and a sense of safety regarding confidentiality.
I prefer to go to a priest or a spiritual leader to manage my problems. I do not want to underestimate the power of the relationship you can have with a spiritual leader. They can be very important in someone's life and part of your supportive network. However, their area of expertise is not human behavior or psychological issues. Even pastors and ministers have been in psychotherapy at some point in their lives. They know reading the scriptures or praying is not enough.
In order for therapy to be successful, my therapist should be from the same race, culture or ethnic background I am. As a therapist, I believe having a therapist from your same background might help but not always. It might help if you come from a minority group, you are adapting to this new culture, you feel misunderstood and need someone who might speak not only your same language, but who understands the different ways in which you relate to the world which is far different from what a mainstream person in the US could understand. There is that sense of commonality that develops when working with someone who shares our same cultural, racial and ethnic background. HOWEVER, working with someone from a different race, culture or ethnic group can potentially help your growth by helping you move out of your comfort zone and challenging you in many ways. It can give you that outsider's perspective that can potentially help you deepen your reflection about the ways in which you live your life. It is a potential for reflection about our own biases regarding culture, race or ethnicity. It is a chance to think outside the box.