A video re: what a therapist really does in therapy. For more info, check out:
https://www.goodtherapy.org/what-is-therapy.html
https://www.apa.org/topics/therapy/
https://www.pacfa.org.au/community-resources/what-is-therapy/
Link to Disclaimer:
file:///D:/Users/Dochas/Documents/Dochas%20G/VLogs/DisclaimersVlogs_2_.docx.html
Script:
Believe it or not, I used to be a teacher. And I used to say to parents I’ll believe half of what I hear if you believe half of what you hear. That’s not to say that people lie – it’s more about perception. And that perception becomes reality.
As part of my informed consent process, I say to clients that sometimes it’ll sound like I’m giving advice. If it does, take it with a grain of salt because only you know what works in your world.
The point is, true therapy isn’t advice giving. It’s asking questions based on our training and knowledge of the brain as well as our understanding of human nature to help our clients clarify issues and find deeper meaning in their lives. Here you share feelings and experiences and explore them for patterns. We don’t judge if those patterns are healthy or unhealthy, instead, we’ll ask questions about them to discover what makes the pattern occur and if you want them to stop. With this awareness, clients may or may not make choices to change. Therapists might suggest possible outcomes from choices, but at the end of the day, it’s your choice. Also, therapy can help clients develop tools to help cope with difficult situations. So there can be an educational component. And, we might help clients with planning or finding solutions. It is usually done through asking clients for suggestions and choosing options that work best for them, not us telling the client what they should or shouldn’t do. We even try to avoid saying whether an action is good or not so we don’t accidentally sway your decision.
It’s actually one of the more confusing and frustrating aspects of therapy when clients come, expecting advice and for us to “fix” it, and they are instead asked questions and not, generally, told what to do. It is very different than going to a doctor for a prescription. We do have a history of going to someone for help (like medication or prayer), so it can be very upsetting to not get a clear recommendation from us, which can make you wonder what you are paying for – which is a topic covered in another of our video series. Also a topic covered in our video series is the difference between a doctor and a psychologist – mainly being we cannot prescribe or recommend medications. So if you’re being told that someone’s therapist told them what meds to try, maybe question that.
With that said, if the therapist perceives you are at risk (emotional or physical), he or she may express their concerns and be more direct about avenues to protect yourself. Again though, it is up to the client to enact whatever they believe they’ve gotten from the session.
It adds your self-awareness and enriches your life to be able to make decisions and act on them.
Our goal as therapists is to help you recognize your autonomy and empower you so eventually you can do it on your own. And again, thank you for having this come up because this is a reminder that I don’t need to take over. You have what you need within you and I just need to help you see that.
So the next time you hear, “My therapist told me…” I invite you to ask more questions or take it with a grain of salt. I also invite you to go online and explore the variety of articles about what therapy is. There are a couple to get you started listed in the description below.
As always, until next time, take care of yourself!
