1. Therapists Do Not Give you Advice.

Therapists are not going to tell you if you should stay married or not. It is not therapist’s job to tell you to stay or to leave your job. Your job is to come to therapy and do the work to understand yourself better. To look at the blind spots that are causing fear and anxiety. Counselors provide the space to do the work and assist in processing what you see about yourself.

Yes a therapist can give you help understanding how to better cope with depression, anxiety, fear, stress, etc. The real life changing internal work of deprogramming the conditioned mind is your job.

2. More than Likely Therapists See Their Own Therapist.

As a therapist I have to work continually on myself and clear away any knots that come up. For me it is like going through the garden and clipping any weeds that sprout. I have done the transformation of self by pulling out the entire root. Now I need to always work on going back and trimming.

I always tell my clients that it is healthy and that you want a therapist to see their own therapist. If we don’t keep our mind, body and spirits in alignment then we cannot be fully present for you to do your work.

3. Therapists Do Not Prescribe Medication

There is the idea that we prescribe medication. No we do not. That is the job of the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist is going to ask you to give a list of your symptoms. Then based on what you tell them, they will then make an educated guess as to the best way to treat the symptoms. We can make a recommendation for you and help you coordinate setting up an appointment.

4. Therapy Does Not Require A Prior Diagnosis For You To Get Help.

No longer are people seeking therapy if they feel they are crazy. That is the biggest misconception. You do not need to have a diagnosis. Many seek therapy to gain clarity, awareness and guidance for their day to day life. There is no shame in seeking therapy. I think it’s the best gift you can give yourself to take time out of the busy world and do nothing more than self reflect.

5. Therapists have Better Things To Do Than Talk About you With their Friends.

I personally have a life outside of therapy and bottom line is that I am bound by confidentiality. Strict state laws, HIPPA, do not allow me to discuss my clients to anyone. Clients often have difficulty warming up to therapist for fear that we will be talking about you when we leave the office. Trust me, I need the break and have my life to work on.

6. Just Because You Stop Therapy Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Start Again.

Many get the benefits of counseling and off they go. That’s wonderful and you did the hard work. There may be other times in your life that you may need to work out the knots and return to do some more clearing out and gain awareness and self evaluation. Also there are clients that flee therapy because of financial reasons. Just talk about your struggles openly. My goal is to never turn a client down.

7. Therapist Will Not Rush to Say Hello When They See You Out In Public.

There is no need to worry that I would run up to my clients if I saw them in public. Again this is an ethical issue. I must ignore you and act as if I do not know you. I will say hello only if you approach me. Even at this point I would not say I am your therapist. You would be the one to acknowledge that I provide therapy.

Go right ahead and do what you want. You can say hello, nothing at all, or introduce me as your therapist if you want. The decision is up to you.

8. You must participate in therapy. Just Coming Does Not Work.

Many think that all they have to do is come into therapy and sit down on the couch. The belief is that the therapist will do all of the work. You must drive the ship. We can help you guide it. I can see just as far as your willing to let me in. It’s important in Individual Therapy, Couples Counseling, or Family Counseling to come with an open and honest mindset. Let’s get to work and be a team.

9. Therapists keep you for years in therapy.

Many feel that therapy is a commitment for years. This is quite the opposite. I strongly believe that the work can be done in a relatively quick manner. It all depends on your willingness to be open and honest to the process. Once you tap into awareness of yourself you will start to see that decisions come faster. You will intuitively know the right moves to make.

10. A Therapist Is Not Your Friend.

No we are not your friend. If we were to take on that role, counseling becomes ineffective. We must stay objective and help to challenge your irrational belief systems. There will be times you are irritated when challenged to stretch and grow.