[slbest]

Hi there- I am new to this forum. I have been in therapy for about 3 years. Lately I have been considering switching to a new therapist but I am really nervous about it. What thoughts/advice do you have about that?

[Elana05]

Hi slbest,

Welcome.

Have you talked about it with your current therapist? The last time I switched, I had to see about four T's before I found one I liked. Even then, it took me about a month to warm up to this new T.

[Can't Stop Crying]

Can I ask why you want to switch?

[ECHOES]

What happened to begin your thoughts about switching to a new therapist?

[dizgirl2011]

Hey,

3 years is quite a while to build a relationship with a therapist, can you share with us what has lead you to consider switching Therapists? If you can't don't worry.

If there is a problem with your current therapist it would possibily benefit to speak to them about what you feel unhappy about in your current Therapy. If this does not help then perhaps getting a new therapist would be a benefit to you .

Diz x

[sunrise]

Hi slbest, and welcome to PsychCentral. I quit with one therapist and began with another a couple of months later. I didn't intend to find a new therapist-just quit the first--but that's what happened, and it turned out to be a very positive change. For me, I had reached the end of my first therapist's skill set and the new therapist had more skills and was able to take me further and help me. What is your situation that makes you want to change therapists?

[slbest]

Thank you all for your responses! My reasoning for switiching therapists is because I feel like what I talk to her about is very repeative and isn't really helping me move forward. She tells me to "just do" things and it doesn't make me feel like we are actually talking about why things are so hard for me, she is just expecting me to get over my fears. I just started anxiety medication about 3 months ago so I feel that I am ready to get into deeper conversations. I see a therapist at college who I have been working with for 2 years at school and I have really felt improvement since working with her. The therapist that I want to stop seeing is one near my home. What do I tell her. how do I start the conversation of wanting to switch?

[slbest]

Thanks everyone for your reply! I just feel like its time to switch. I am at college and see a therapist at school but want to switch from the one at home. I feel that the one I have at home doesn't push me enough and we don't get deep into talking about things, she just says "just do it" and I am tired of hearing that. I also just got on medication for anxiety which is helping a lot so I feel I am ready to dive into deeper issues.

How do I tell her that I want to switch? Or could I just tell her I want to be challenged more in my thoughts. I really would like to try someone new though so how do I do that?

[carsan60612]

I've seen a few therapists but only had to officially fire one of them. I thought that therapy was being effective, but after getting more effective therapy in the hospital, I knew that it wasn't the right fit. It was a difficult thing to do, to "break up" with a therapist. She took it a bit personal, I think, which made me fearful in the first place. But I knew what was best for me and it didn't include her. It was the best decision, and without the switch, I probably would've just ended up in the hospital again (I haven't been back since then).

You really need to do what's best for you. If it's not working out, say something. You could see the same T for 20 years and not make progress if it's not the right fit.

[*doodles*]

Those are very good reasons to switch. But if you like her, I would probably suggest first telling her straight out that you need more from therapy, that you want to talk more about deeper issues, and that you can't simply just "do" things. Hopefully once you bring it up, you guys can talk about it and see if that's an option. That was happening with my T and I just said (through email because I was too chicken to do it face to face) that I thought we were focusing too much on certain things and not on other things and that certain things needed to change and she was VERY receptive, understanding and happy I brought it up!
But maybe you do need the switch. If you don't sense any change after talking to her, I would just tell her its really not going how you need it to, and you need to take a break. You don't necessarily need to tell her you've picked a new therapist or anything.
Goodluck!

[ECHOES]

Tell her just what you've said here about therapy with her and your desire for something different. She understands that we all have different needs and desires and that there are many kinds of therapies that a person can choose. At this time, you are deciding to choose something different, so you are just letting her know, as a courtesy to her.

[dizgirl2011]

Originally Posted by slbest

Thank you all for your responses! My reasoning for switiching therapists is because I feel like what I talk to her about is very repeative and isn't really helping me move forward. She tells me to "just do" things and it doesn't make me feel like we are actually talking about why things are so hard for me, she is just expecting me to get over my fears. I just started anxiety medication about 3 months ago so I feel that I am ready to get into deeper conversations. I see a therapist at college who I have been working with for 2 years at school and I have really felt improvement since working with her. The therapist that I want to stop seeing is one near my home. What do I tell her. how do I start the conversation of wanting to switch?

Hi there,

can I just ask if you were seeing both therapists at the same time? I ask as it's not usually recommended that someone see two therapists at the same period of time, as it can sometimes mean the client gets conflicting messages from each therapist as often therapists work differently.

Would it be possible that you took charge of the session and decided what you wanted to talk about and how deep you went with the subjects you want to talk about? Or is there a real need to be pushed because you find it hard to talk? You could tell your therapist that you want to get a bit deeper into things and tell her you need her to help you do that.

I an not sure if I am understanding you right, do you mean that you want to switch to the therapist you see at school? My concern if this is the case is - what happens when you leave school or during school vaccations etc?

all the best