[GenCat]

I have asked my T this question before because I was really not sure whether or not I needed therapy. Sometimes I feel like I have it easy, like I don't deserve to be in therapy, compared to what others have been through. Then I wonder well why can't I be like I use to be, or why do I feel this way when others feel another way? Why can't I live a certain way, why do I cry all the time? Why do I cut and starve myself? And then I see myself as needing serious help since I can't answer those type of questions. When my T answered my question, she asked if my mental state is causing me to not live like I want to? I said yes. Then T said yes, you need therapy.

[Wren_]

I've asked different T's that question; I think one said something about of course, he needed the money (he was joking) and another dodged the question; but reality is, I do belong there at least for as long as it helps. If you think it's helping you or that it could, it seems like it's a good thing to continue with

[overwhelmed1980]

I asked my therapist and he said that since my emotional issues interfere with my daily life that I do need therapy.

[scorpiosis37]

My has told me, from the beginning, that I don't "need" therapy since I am a healthy, functioning adult. However, she is of the philosophy that just about everyone can benefit from therapy. There are always ways that we can improve ourselves, gain insight, and/or heal from earlier wounds. Therefore, as long as I find therapy helpful and we are doing meaningful work, she is happy to have me as a client. That's one of the things that I find most comforting about therapy; I don't have to worry about the rug being pulled out from under me. My T isn't "working towards the end" from the very beginning. It is my choice how long I want to remain in therapy.

[Moodswing]

Hmm.... I never thought to ask because I just assumed I should be getting some kind of help unless burning, binge/purging and thoughts of killing yourself are all part of everyday normal life.

[stopdog]

I asked and the response was no, there is no need as such. But that it might be able to help with why I sought them out in the first place.

[suzzie]

ive asked before.but the answer wasnt clear. or maybe she didnt answer it. i really want to ask this t too. because im not sure. sometimes the way they talk. it sounds like i shouldnt be.

[FeelTheBurn]

Never considered asking. I KNOW I'm messed up!

[feralkittymom]

Perhaps feeling that you don't deserve the time, attention, and help is enough of a reason.

I have asked my T this a few times. He has always been very clear that while it is my decision to stay in therapy, he believes that I need it. He has not said anything about whtether I deserve it or not - which I know I don't, but it was his decision to take me on as a client - but he wouldn't make that kind of value judgment. I think his position is that everybody deserves therapy if they need it.

I'm glad he has never turned the question around to ask if my mental state interferes with living normally. I wouldn't be able to answer that - I don't know what life is like for other people, deep down I mean, so I don't know whether I am in fact hindered by my psychological issues or not. I do know that being in therapy helps me, and I think T would say that that's reason enough for me to go.

Good thread! Thank you for starting it.

[GenCat]

Originally Posted by feralkittymom

Perhaps feeling that you don't deserve the time, attention, and help is enough of a reason.

I agree. And agree that if therapy helps you, you should stay in therapy.

[Perna]

I don't think a T would want to treat someone who did not belong in therapy; would be too boring/a waste of their time.

[Freewilled]

During my first couple sessions, I told T that I didn't even know if I really needed therapy and maybe I didn't need to be there anyway. My T very gently stated, "most people don't end up here unless they have something very important to say." Or something to that effect....it was helpful as I know now that I REALLY do need some type of help.

It's never really been in question with PTSD, bipolar disorder, and chronic severe stress from having a husband with severe health problems. I've needed all the help I could get.

[lrt1978]

I asked my T, I was adamant that I didn't need therapy or that I wasn't ill enough for treatment, her response was always

If you didn't need therapy, then you wouldn't be here and I would discharge you, you need help and deserve help to get better and I will work with you every step of the way to get to where you want to be

[marcel83]

I posed this question to my T yesterday. She consider therapy is indicated for me and I need it. The worst thing is I don't think today as she does. I'm resigned to the end of my therapy even if I though yesterday about death because of the termiation.
I don't feel any emotional connection with her nowadays...I think she would like to realize a profit on me and that's all.
I'm queer...

[wotchermuggle]

My has practiced for many years and he told me that he's never had anyone come to therapy who didn't need it.

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by Mastodon

I do know that being in therapy helps me, and I think T would say that that's reason enough for me to go.

I think this is where I'm at too. I am not mentally ill, and I have solved some big problems that I originally came to therapy with. I don't feel I need to be in therapy right now, but yet it continues to help me. For me, that's a good enough reason to stick with it.

This has set me thinking about needing vs wanting therapy.... which is a topic that crops up from time to time, I know that. It's hard to know about oneself (or at least it is for me) whether there is a genuine need. I know I want therapy because I want to deal with the things in my life that don't work, but as I said before, I have no idea whether those are things that work for other people or not. My T sometimes remarks on the fact that I have a very genuine and deep self-hatred, which apparently shines through when I talk to him. I have to battle that every time I go to T, and from that perspective I don't want therapy at all, because it threatens my view of myself as the scum of the earth. (That's a direct quote from T.) But maybe that is an indication that there is a need, rather than just a want.

Sorry, this got a bit confused, and maybe it is sort of beside the original point.

[Victoria'smom]

I think if I ever asked T would smile and ask why.

[learning1]

I asked a former therapist early in therapy if he thought therapy could help me. (I already had the attitude that it is fine to use therapy as long as it can help you; not that you have to have a certain level of serious problems to qualify for it.) He responded that he couldn't answer that for me.

He turned out to be an openly nasty person who was indifferent to whether he helped me or hurt me in the end. In hindsight, his equivocal answer early on could have been a clue to his lack of interest in helping me. I don't think I could have known that at the time, but in hindsight, that often comes to my mind as a clue that he didn't care about dealing with the issues I wanted to deal with. I don't know, but now I guess that he may have had a narrower view of therapy than I do; he may have believed therapy should only be for people who have a certain level of the types of narrowly defined problems therapy traditionally deals with.

Now I have a therapist who is open to people using therapy if they want to improve themselves and who is clearly motivated to help me with the things I want to work on.

[Raging Quiet]

I hinted at this recently and T said 'you are going through a crisis' but also said I could cope on my own so I suppose she doesn't think so.

[bluemountains]

I haven't asked my t, but I think I will. I go every week because my pdoc believes that therapy is a part of the treatment process with bipolar. She prefers that I go weekly. Sometimes I feel like I am going around in circles because I read old journals and I see the same thoughts expressed that I had two years ago.
I will ask my t this week if and why I need to be there every week.
Bluemountains