Hiya.

So your goals for therapy are... To help you feel happier? I think that is a pretty good goal :-)

Do you remember what theoretical orientation your therapists were?

Did you ever feel connected to them?
(Emotionally close like you could talk to them about intimate thoughts / feelings)

Did you like them? Sometimes it can be about bad fit...

That was a long time to see someone for when it didn't really seem to be helping...

The best therapist I have ever seen (though my current one is probably on a par...) was actually doing her intern year of a clinician psychology program. She didn't even have a lisence to practice yet! What was terrific about her was her enthusiasm and willingness to try new things. Because she didn't have many years of experience with her she had less of a tendency to fit me into the stereotypes and she had more openness to her experience with me. To just take me as she found me instead of comparing me to past clients all the time...

One thing that seems to be emerging from the effecacy literature... Is that the theoretical orientation doesn't seem to be anywhere near as important as the relationship (fit) between the therapist and client.

Having the opportunity to talk to someone who cares can be the most healing thing of all. But... The caring needs to be mutual.

Did you ever feel like you had that before?

Maybe... That was what went wrong...