Therapy is not for everyone

Therapy Is Not For Everyone, That's Not Because Therapy Does Not Work...

Friday 28th January 2022

For years now, I have been hearing from some people that 'therapy does not work'.

Imagine, if you heard the statement "medicine does not work". How would you respond? Would you say that makes any sense? Would you seek alternative non-medical solutions because a particular medication didn't have the desired results? Perhaps you would. 

Lets think about this for a moment...

You would surely want to ask the following:

1: Which specific type of medication is this person referring to?

2: Which type of medical condition, if any, were they seeking medication for?

3; What happened when they started taking the medication and did they continue beyond 4-6 weeks before they concluded medication doesn't work?

4: If the prescribed drug didn't work or if they had experienced adverse reactions, did the person go back and speak to the medical Dr to find out why?

Now, these are the basic questions I would ask of anyone if they made such a statement; "medicine doesn't work". 

You get my point. To say, therapy doesn't work is therefore, an inaccurate statement.

There are many different types of therapy offered to people. There are various psychological models, and some therapists mix strategies and techniques depending on the main presenting problem, and the therapist's expertise and knowledge of course.

Experts in mental health will recommend one type of therapy over another, again depending on the mental health condition the person is presenting with, the duration, intensity of symptoms, medical history, psychiatric history, so on and so forth.

In the UK, trained clinical psychology professionals will follow NICE guideline recommendations, however, clients often engage in therapy models that are not NICE guideline recommended. Is it therefore surprising that some people will believe therapy doesn't work? Perhaps they have been engaging in a form of therapy that was not appropriate in the first place.

Another important factor here is, how a person forms and maintains relationships in the outside world is reflected in the therapy room (virtual room too!). And of course, how a therapist engages and connects, their level of expertise and ability to connect with a particular client is of equal importance. 

So, whether or not therapy will work demands on teamwork and the team's collective goal - and the goal must be mutually agreed. What they both bring to the table - Therapist-Client will influence the success of a therapeutic process. 

So, in conclusion, there are many people who will say "therapy does not work". What they probably mean is they have not found the right therapy or the right therapist, yet.

Now, remember, I said at the very beginning 'therapy is not for everyone', that is because for some individuals the thought of engaging in psychological therapy is a source of anxiety. Whilst for others showing up vulnerable is not something they can do comfortably, or are ready to do. 

On top of that, imagine having an open and painful discussion about what it is you are doing that is no longer working for you - now that is not, in anyway, an easy thing for anyone to do.