Yes, I agree that there are some poorly trained therapists out there. But I also know that my own difficulties with therapy would make even the most highly trained therapist, with the best skills, therapeutic empathy and compassion, sigh in exasperation and feel stretched to the limits of his/her abilities. Over time, I've recognized that my difficulty "finding" the right therapist has next to nothing to do with the person sitting across from me. I have to accept that I'm not a good candidate for "change" through the process of psychotherapy. Why? I'm competitive, untrusting, suspicious, arrogant, opinionated, and very very VERY resistant to anyone breaching the walls of my defenses. One therapist very calmly told me that she didn't want to argue with me, she admitted hands down that I knew the clinical literature much better than her. Although that admission made me feel elated for a few minutes, I had to admit to myself that in spite of "knowing" the literature inside and out, it hadn't helped me live a better life yet!

So, I can no longer complain and moan about how useless therapy is because, even though I've heard and read a lot of horror stories about how harmful therapy is, I've also read and heard about many more stories of how therapy helped individuals live better, more productive and happier lives. Like everything in life, the issue of whether or not therapy is harmful or helpful is not a black or white issue. There are many shades of gray in there and when I look at honestly, for myself anyway, I have to admit that I just don't have the right temperament/personality/ability to engage in therapy in a productive and healthy manner. Just my take on things from my own personal perspective.

And that's not to say that there aren't lousy therapists out there. There are, but I can't say my own failures at therapy are entirely the fault of the therapists I've seen . . . . not when I look at the number of therapists I've tried with!