My first counselor: I was falling to pieces due to a crisis and called my Employee Assistance Plan and got the name of a counselor from them. I went to see her for about 20 sessions off and on over a period of 11 months. I knew nothing about therapy. We did not form a bond, but I didn't know you were supposed to. She was CBT and helped me with some concrete suggestions for coping and fighting the symptoms of depression. After a while, I realized she was not helping me move forward with my main problem, and I had pretty much exhausted her skill set, so we parted ways. I am grateful to her for providing support in a time of crisis. I also now appreciate her strong anti-meds stance. At the time, I wanted anti-depressants or anything that I hoped would anesthetize me against the pain and pull me up out of the depths. On her advice, I first tried med-free psychotherapy. After 6 months of this, with little gain, she then wanted me to go on meds. By this time, I was committed to regaining my health without drugs, so I declined her advice. Age: she was about my age, maybe a few years younger.

My current therapist: I didn't really plan to go see anyone else, and was floundering about wondering how to proceed. A family member, through a professional connection of hers, heard the name of my T as being able to help people take the first step toward moving forward with my particular problem. On a whim, I called him several weeks later. We met, and, as sister wrote, "the rest is history." After only 1 or 2 sessions, I remember telling someone, "he is saving my life." I still feel that way. Age: he is 5 years older than I am. I think back to our first session together and why I thought immediately that he could help me and that I should continue seeing him:
1) He immediately saw that my "stuckness" was due to experiences from my past, when growing up. This seemed so insightful to me, but as he said to me later, it's not rocket science. However, my former counselor had never connected any of my current problems to my past. She was not very insightful.
2) He gave me hope. In an existential way, this really helped with my depression. (First counselor had attacked depression symptoms, rather than depression itself.)
3) He said, "I am a healer," and this seemed so profound to me, like what I had been looking for all along, but hadn't even known it: someone who would help me heal.