Make Change Happen Now

While the hardest part of therapeutic experience can be making the call in the first place, the continued time and effort involved to make therapy a success can be daunting. For many, the commitment is more than just taking an hour a week to spend working on yourself. Because, lets face it, most of the real work is done in between sessions. And for many, the commitment to start therapy has a huge financial impact. So when deciding that you are ready for therapy, perhaps after thinking about it for weeks or even years before you begin the task of finding a therapist you feel you can trust and scheduling that first appointment, you want to be sure to get the most out of the experience as you possibly can. Author, Marina Williams, MA, LMHC, offers four important considerations when starting therapy to get the most out of the experience. "The characteristics that make someone an “ideal” client are quite simple and anyone can implement them. I’ve found that just sharing this information with my clients has caused all my clients overall to improve. Please continue reading if you too would also like to get faster and better results in counseling. 1. YOU MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENTS A PRIORITY . If you’ve ever tried to learn a new skill or get in shape at the gym, you know that consistency is key. Frequently cancelling and rescheduling appointments are going to hinder or prevent progress in therapy. It is the reason why I terminate counseling if missed appointments become excessive. The clients that get better the fastest come to every appointment without exception. When you make appointments a priority, wonderful things start to happen. 2. YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE RISKS AND TRY NEW THINGS . Anytime you learn new skills, it feels strange and unnatural. If you hired a coach to help you improve your tennis game, the way he teaches you to hold the racket would probably feel “wrong” at first but with practice it would become second nature and improve your game. I’m going to teach you skills and techniques that are going to sound weird at first, but trust me, with practice it will eventually become second nature and you won’t even think about it. But what I need from you is a willingness to at least try the skills I teach you. My ideal clients show a curiosity and an eagerness to try new things and follow through with recommendations outside of the office. 3. YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH . If you went to a doctor’s office and when the doctor asked “So what brings you here today?” and you just shrugged your shoulders, naturally you would leave the office without having received any care. The same is true for when you visit the office. Ideal clients come prepared to each session with an agenda of issues they would like to have addressed by the therapist in that session. Ideal clients make notes (either mental notes or in writing) of the improving or worsening of symptoms between sessions. Ideal clients have clear goals of what they would like to achieve in therapy, and actively work on those goals. 4. YOU GIVE DIRECT AND HONEST FEEDBACK . The more feedback I get from you about what is working and what isn’t working, the more I can tailor my services to be more effective. I never want you to be afraid of hurting my feelings. I value honest feedback from my clients. It allows me to do my job better and it allows services to be made more effective to you so that you get better faster. " (taken from Couples Counseling, Marina Williams, MS, LMHC, 2012) These four components are essential if you want to make your time, money, and emotional investment worth it. Take some time to consider these points and hopefully you will see the merit of trying to incorporate them in your therapy. Be Well.