Therapy Pointless?

[notsogooduk]

I have seen a therapist twice, both times for an hour.

They have simply just printed information off the internet and gone through it paragraph by paragraph explaining it.

I don't mean to be rude but I could quite easily have done that myself and I can't see how this is going to change anything.

Does it usually get better?

[Annie0904]

Doesn't sound a very good therapist to me...mine has never done that.

[notsogooduk]

What usually happens? I have been given a couple of sheets to fill in as a diary to explain what happens. 2 a4 pages, they were filled within that day.

It is almost like they dont really understand.

If therapy is printing things off the internet and saying "breath" then I am in the wrong business :(

[Annie0904]

Well mine has mostly been talking about me and finding out the cause of my anxiety. I have had Cbt before as well and they explained cbt to me and I had a diary to fill in but it was mostly talking about my thoughts and feelings.

[Edie]

Therapy shouldn't be pointless. It should be about teaching you coping skills. To do that, they need to start by getting to know you and understand your difficulties. Maybe the diary will help with that. I would give it one more go and see if things improve. It would be good if you can explain your frustration over lack of progress at your next appointment. A good therapist should take your opinions on board and try to adapt their technique to your needs.

It's possible the internet stuff was just to help you understand your problem. They don't know how much you already know and maybe just need to ensure you do have that basic understanding. It does seem pointless, but there could be people who benefit from this at the beginning.

It's an odd approach though, I can understand why it seems pointless. I hope you can get somewhere eventually.

[kittikat]

Hmm, this approach does seem a little impersonal.

I have been having CBT since April and my therapist has been brilliant. She took a lot of time to get to know me and went through the usual background chat, how I was feeling etc. She also produced some brilliant bespoke charts/graphs and literature to help me understand what we discuss in therapy. I always come away feeling very positive.

Hang in there, maybe things will improve. I agree, you could try mentioning how you feel and see if things change. Good luck.

[notsogooduk]

Thanks.

I will see how it goes next time I go.

I have a questionnaire to fill out every time to see, and if anything it is getting worse as at the time I am probably annoyed my appointment is at 9.30 and I go in at 9.45 and then have to rush to work afterwards and try and catch up on work.

If it isn't helping after the next couple I will just probably cancel it as it just isn't doing anything to help. I don't need to see how often I do things as I know how much I do them and feel them as that's why it was why I went and got referred, it isn't like I am in denial of it and need to be shown what is going on.

[paranoidtree]

this doesn't sound quite right to me either, i started training as a counsellor and this certainly wasn't how we were told to approach clients! Is this a private therapist or do you see them through work/referral?

normally the first session of counselling is you doing a lot of talking about what has brought you to the session so that the counsellor can get an understanding of your issue. they will also give you background on them, and how they work and can therefore help you.

some therapists will use resources and will go through and explain them but that shouldn't be the basis of your sessions.

If i was you i would bring it up at your next session and ask them to explain their approach so you understand (there could be method in their madness!) and how you feel it isn't helpful.

[notsogooduk]

It is through my GP they referred me.

I am seeing them in the morning, will show them my diary for today of triggers and hopefully they will see I'm not messing about. At the minute the therapy that is meant to help me is making me worse because it doesn't achieve anything and it is keeping me away from work.

[Edie]

Therapy can make you feel worse at the beginning, because you have to open up about your difficulties, but they have not yet given you any coping skills. But I can understand your frustration because it doesn't seem to be leading to anything helpful.

I hope that showing them the diary tomorrow will lead to them giving you the right support.