Yes, Therapists Need Therapy Too.
We believe psychotherapists have it together because it’s their job to help you get your life together. Although they’re generally better at coping with struggles than your average person, they too are only human. We often make assumptions about our therapists and the therapy they practice, but what do we actually know for sure?
1. Therapists Go To Therapy
You’d have to be a superhuman to engage in such an emotionally straining job and not seek therapy yourself. Therapists believe in the healing powers of therapy so of course they’re going to reap the benefits first-hand. Many therapists took the role inspired their own life-changing experiences through therapeutic practices. They practice what they preach!
2. Therapists Can Be Messy
Most therapists present themselves well and are very good at looking organized. While this might be true for some, not all therapists got an A+ in time management and organization. They don’t have perfect lives and perfect schedules and some of them run late. Their humanness keeps them messy just like the rest of us.
3. Prioritizing Self-Care Is Challenging For Therapists
You’d think therapists would be self-care experts but sometimes they let their jobs or lives outside of work take priority over themselves. Therapists tend to work a lot and they can struggle to find time for themselves too. They often ask clients how they prioritize self-care because they know how hard it is to do.
4. Therapists Have Struggles Too
The struggles are real! Many therapists have been through hardships or are dealing with their own problems. They might be going through the same thing as you but the difference is, they know what to do! But just like everyone, their lives aren’t perfect and they have to deal with mental setbacks too.
5. Therapists Use Personal Experience
Many psychotherapists use their personal experiences to relate to their clients. Sharing their story can help build trust and make their client feel more connected to them. Many therapists can learn and teach from their own experiences as well.
6. Therapists Get Tired Of Talking
After a day spent in conversations with clients, most therapists need to recharge in silence. Their career depends on talking and listening so when they’re out of the office, they might not want to talk much. If you only see your therapist with their conversation expertise, it might be hard to picture them in any other way.
7. Therapists Learn From You Too
It’s part of the job to be active listeners and witnessers which means they’re spending a lot of their energy on you. They can learn a lot from watching the behaviors and reactions of their clients that they can reflect on in future sessions or relate back to personal experiences. You help them develop their skills as they work on helping you develop yours.
8. Therapists Can’t Be Your Friend
If you want to be friends with your therapist, the feeling is probably mutual. If your therapist takes their work seriously then they know they can’t have a relationship with their clients outside of work. It’s not easy for them either, some of them wish they could’ve met their clients in different circumstances where they could be pals.
9. Therapists Think About You Between Sessions
Therapists work after hours for you too. They don’t only work with you during your hour-long session, they do some homework for you too. They’re big feelers and often have a lot of empathy for their clients. What you say may impact them more than you know and they’ll do everything they can to help you. They’ll think about you, wondering how your week is going when you’re not talking to them.
10. Therapists Don’t Give Direct Advice
Many folks don’t realize that therapists aren’t direct advice-givers, they work with individuals to guide them in one direction. They encourage autonomy and want their clients to develop their own solutions. Therapists are like professional guides that lead you to make problem-solving decisions and find what works best for you.
11. There Are Many Different Types Of Therapists
The human brain is complex and there is so much to study. Within the field of psychology, there are several routes therapists can take to specialize in a specific branch. From industry therapists to relationship therapists, there are various specializations to choose from.
12. Therapy Is Preventative
Many people think you only go to therapy if you have a mental health issue when in fact, therapy can work as a preventative method as well. You don’t need to wait for a traumatic event or persistent episodes of anxiety to talk to a therapist. Therapy can help individuals deal with future struggles by implementing practices before they happen, making any crisis easier to handle.
13. Therapy Is Hard Work
We wish all you had to do was sit in that comfy chair and all life’s problems would disappear. Unfortunately, you won’t be cured after one therapy session and you can’t fix everything without putting in work. You need to practice strategies in real life outside of the session and that can require dedication and time.
14. Therapy Timelines Differ For Everyone
There is a finish line for most people if you seek therapy for specific reasons. Once you’ve found your way, it’s normal to slow down your sessions or stop them altogether. For some people, this could be months, while for others, this could be years. Everyone works off their own timeline and progression and there’s no right or wrong length of time.
15. Psychologists and Psychiatrists Are Different
Despite that they’re both mental health professionals, there are significant differences between the two. Psychologists have a doctoral degree in psychology and they’re medical doctors specializing in psychiatry. On the other hand, psychologists primarily use therapy and behavioral interventions and cannot prescribe medications like psychiatrists can.
16. It’s Not “One Size Fits All”
Like many things in life, your first therapist might not be a perfect fit. Some people talk to various professionals before they feel comfortable with one. This can be due to their specializations or the way they approach a specific condition. Just like any person you meet, you’ll have different connections with different therapists.
17. Confidentiality Has Valid Exceptions
The psychologist-client confidentiality is taken very seriously but their a few important exceptions to this rule. The main exceptions include if the client is a danger to themselves or others or if there’s suspected abuse of an innocent person. Therapists will seek assistance if life-threatening situations are on the line.
18. There Are Multiple Approaches
Depending on the client’s situation, a psychotherapist may use different therapeutic approaches. The most common techniques are cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness therapy, and exposure therapy. Therapists with customize treatment based on their clients' needs.
19. A Therapist Requires Extensive Training
Their commitment to learning is not a well-known fact about psychotherapists. The journey to the profession is long and continues after graduation. In the States, a bachelor’s degree and a doctoral degree in psychology are required which takes 5-7 years. Afterward, graduates partake in a one-year internship followed by a couple of years of supervised experience.
20. Therapists Aren’t Mind Readers
This may seem obvious, but many people think that their therapist knows them better than themselves. While they can get to know you very well, a therapist can only understand you from what you give them. It all comes down to how truthful you are and how much you’re willing to expose about yourself, they can’t read your mind.
