The Mormon Therapist
What a blessing in disguise this blog is!! As I read the posts last night (in the middle of the night) there were so many thoughts going through my head.
I’ve seen a variety of therapists. Only left one because I didn’t like her in the beginning. However, all the others have ‘left’ me as they have changed jobs or retired.
Even though the common theme I read about last night was sexual in nature and that is not the issue w/myself or marriage. However, there are other issues.
I’m glad to hear you’re finding this to be a useful site.
It can be a difficult process to find a therapist one is comfortable with. There are so many different factors to consider: personality, type of approach, training, gender, etc. Once one has entered into a therapy relationship they are comfortable with, it of course can be very frustrating to have the treatment cut short by relocation, retirement, high turnover (more common in agencies), etc. At times however, this cannot be helped.
Here are my thoughts:
- I strongly believe that every ethical and correctly qualified therapist has something valid and unique to offer. And what you may learn and take away from one therapist/client relationship can look very different from what may benefit you in another.
- I also do not want a client becoming overly dependent on their relationship with any one therapist because that runs counter to the usual goals that are being worked on.
- Because of these two reasons I discourage my clients to stay with me longer than about two years. Many find that therapy is useful in a timeframe lasting somewhere between 6-12 sessions. However, for those dealing with chronic and deeply seeded issues (i.e. childhood trauma such as sexual/physical abuse) therapy may be a more long-term endeavor. If therapy is seen as still necessary for the benefit of the client after a two-year period I encourage my clients to think about the possibility of what a new therapist could bring to the table. Although it is difficult to have to start anew and feel as though you need to retell your story, I believe the pros usually outweigh the cons. And there are things that the therapists can do (with a signed release of information) to help facilitate this process (i.e. telephone consultations, sharing of records, even co-therapy for a session or two).
I hope you don’t let the frustration that you’ve encountered keep you from getting the help you need. Good luck and feel free to write in at any time.
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