Table of Contents
Why does therapy become more challenging?
When you start to run into some of your psychological defenses, therapy starts to get harder. These are the mechanisms your mind uses to block out painful or threatening emotions, memories, and thoughts. Because they need to stay in touch with their clients’ experiences, it is highly advised that therapists at some point seek therapy. They must be able to relate to their clients and understand what it’s like to frequently express your emotions and be open with someone else, according to Trillow.Finding the right balance between meeting clients where they are and also motivating them to grow is one of the most difficult aspects of therapy. I think we all unconsciously repeat familiar patterns in our lives as a means of resolving our problems.According to Jeanne Watson (2002), 60 years of research have repeatedly shown that empathy is the most effective predictor of client progress in therapy. Her words are as follows: Therapists need to be able to be responsively attuned to their clients and to understand them emotionally as well as cognitively.Coerced, resistant, or difficult clients make therapy much more difficult. These are typically clients who have been pressured by the legal system, the child welfare system, their spouse or significant other to make changes in their lives even though they may not be ready to do so.
What contributes to a patient’s therapeutic success?
Successful clients recognize that in order to improve, they will need to take risks and make sacrifices. Time, effort, and energy must be put forth in order to overcome anxiety. It also necessitates giving up coping mechanisms you’ve employed for years, like avoiding particular scenarios or asking loved ones for assurance. In therapy, a client may experience anxiety or tension due to a variety of factors. Reluctance to seek treatment is one of the most prevalent. Many patients go to therapy on someone else’s command, like a partner.
In therapy, when do clients become quiet?
The client’s silence might be an indication that they are thinking, or even just beginning to think. The pace of therapy may need to be slowed down to better meet the client’s current needs. For the silent client, reflection is noticeably more beneficial than skill development. When used constructively, silence can put the client under some pressure to pause and think. The client may be encouraged to express feelings and thoughts that would otherwise be masked by excessively anxious talk by the therapist’s nonverbal cues of patience and empathy. Silence that conveys sympathy can be a sign of it.Get Used to Reflective Silence It can be therapeutic to allow clients to sit and think while you are there to offer encouragement. Gentle reflections and affirmations from therapists can be used to convey support, understanding, and acceptance.Psychotherapy shouldn’t resemble a typical conversation. One of the most frequent therapeutic blunders is over-talking, whether therapists are talking about you or, even worse, themselves. Nobody can process for someone else.It is frequently beneficial and encouraging for the therapist to maintain silence when a client who is typically verbal starts to become silent while discussing something challenging. It may indicate interest and attention as well as the therapist’s resolve to respect the client’s need to process what is happening.They see their role as assisting you in discovering your own solutions, and they are aware that silence can enable you to do so. Sitting in silence causes a lot of internal things to surface, including memories, feelings, and thoughts that you might not typically experience. Your therapist wants to hear from you about that.