SarahMichelle, I totally relate to what you're saying. I saw my first therapist from July 1999-2003, took a break because her husband passed away, then went back from 2005-2008. She was not the best therapist around, but she was a good listener. I say that with a bit of a snarkiness, because that is ALL she did, sit and listen. She didn't have any advice or any guidance to offer me. I got worse with her, but I stuck with her because: 1.) I didn't know any better 2.) I thought she was all I had. She was really my only "therapeutic" support, although not very good.

Now, my present therapist is da-bomb-dot-com.

I started seeing her in June of 2010 and within this year and eight month's time she has brought me so far. She would say she didn't have anything to do with it, because I did all the work. But, OMG, this woman is simply amazing and is wicked smart. She refuses to take any credit and is very modest when receiving compliments. I don't care what she says, (in this instance), she's got skills. She seems to have solutions just built into her brain and she articulates them in a way that you just constantly say, "Wow! Dang girl!"

I saw her today and she dug (gently) until I admitted to being hurt by something that has been happening in my life, instead of allowing me to just blow it off. I left her office with a 100% different perspective and feeling about it. I gained so much relief in my session with her today. Plus, she was wearing my favorite color (yellow) and her hair was super cute, so we chatted about some girly, giggly stuff unrelated to therapy, and it felt great.

My former therapist would have never been able to get me to dig in, to be open and honest, or to even trust her to be the support I needed. I hate to be such a downer about my former therapist, but man, the difference between her and my present therapist is like the difference between Meryl Streep and Paris Hilton; one is an amazing, authentic actress who knows what she's doing, and the other just doesn't give a crap.