What makes conversations in therapy different?
First and foremost: they must be safe. And it's the therapist's responsibility to keep them that way. This means that they are:
- confidential
- respectful of you, the client - your boundaries, sensitivities, and values
- central to an alliance that allows you to express whatever comes up. Including annoyance with your therapist. Knowing that your feelings and opinions will be respected.
Therapy must be safe. And like so many things that heal, it can involve moments of discomfort here and there. After all, you are considering thorny issues: how you came to be in your current life-situation, and what it might take to catalyze change. To this end, the conversation:
- helps you become curious about yourself
- challenges you in a good way
- helps you see new aspects of yourself and your situation
- provides feedback, not silence
- helps you hone skills in self observation that will serve for a lifetime
The purpose of therapy is change. We keep this goal in mind, even as we wade into difficult history, murky feelings, and tangled relationships. Conversation leads to a new experience of yourself, and to understanding:Using this new understanding leads to change.
And change is hard! It can also be exhilarating. It raises new questions, opens new doors, and points the way to deeper sources of satisfaction in life.
We work without fast-forwarding past the hard parts – but without losing precious time.