Me and My Psychotherapy : The Process

Client: Sometimes I feel socially awkward.

Therapist: Okay.. would you like to elaborate the feeling?

Client: prolonged silence……

Therapist: umm….! Is it anxiety, disinterest or mere awkwardness?

Client: Can I ask you something?

Therapist: Sure! go ahead

Client : Is it okay if you don't give me options? Options like if I feel this or that. Because even choosing from 2 -3 options makes me cautious and confused

Therapist: Certainly! Why not…..

I am glad that the above client overcame his hesitation and asked for something he wanted in the session. When we talk about psychotherapy, it is the beauty of therapy that when the rapport between the therapist and the client strengthens, the client is likely to feel in control. They feel powerful. The nature of the process becomes more and more easy and transparent.

Many people approach the therapist with a clear goal of seeking advice. Some go into it completely clueless and are open to exploring it with all its complexity.

In the first case when one has a clear goal or expectation, it is either surprising or irritating to receive a different response than your expectation. Hence it is a wise idea to explore how one is feeling during the therapy process and share that reflection with the therapist. Anticipation of getting advice is not wrong however a good psychologist would never give direct advice to the client. Rather try to make the client equipped to take their own decisions and work on their mental set if there is any. Because the goal of the process is making the client as independent as they can be.

In another case, where a person goes to a therapist without any clear goal or expectation, they generally want to travel through the process on their own. At such a point self awareness and gaining insights about oneself can be a difficult process. The therapist can gently guide the clients in going through the process. However trust is an important factor here. People sometimes experience difficulty in suddenly putting a lot of trust in some third person. However more deeply one dives into the process, not only is trust built up, but very interesting insights are gained by the client.

As the bond grows and becomes stronger, it is very easily possible to cross the ethical boundaries by the client or the therapist then during this process. Hence it is crucial to know how this bond can be professionally maintained so that it remains fruitful. In the coming blog it will be interesting to know more about the ethical boundaries the process of psychotherapy has.

Mrs. Purva Joshi

Consulting Psychologist

Vidula Psychological Consultancy, Pune

9067002242