Your Opinion

I started with a new T and today was my fourth session. I really like her and we get along well. The timing of my starting with her is bad b/c the holidays are extremely stressful for me and I always take a nose dive this time of year.

Today I had written some things for her to read and she said to me, writing is good, talking is good, but it doesn't seem to be helping...

I sort of panicked cause I thought here we go she's going to dump me. In my opinion I thought she was expecting alot from me with 1. short time of seeing her and 2. the holidays

So now I've got it in my head that I have to put a "I'm ok face on and that I am progressing.

What do you think? Do you think that 4 sessions is enough to determine whether therapy is working or not? TY! JFB

Hello,

In my opinion four sessions is not enough to detect progress and I also know that therapy isn't going to work if you have to put a certain face on to please your therapist. Honestly is the best policy.

I wish you the best,

January

What a strange thing to say!

Helping with what?

Do you have goals (like feeling better)?
I'm wondering if she means that talking about stuff doesn't seem to help you feel better...

Sometimes t's need a little bit of positive reinforcement:

'Thanks so much for being here so that I can talk to you. It helps me to know that I can talk about this stuff'.

Hope it works out for you...

yeah, i agree with january.

Think of it this way - if your appointments are an hour each, shes really only known you for four hours! Takes much longer to get a feel for things.

But, go with your gut. If you feel she isint working, tell her that. YOu may find just saying what your feeling ends up giving you something to work on!

Hi..TY!...I know honesty is the best policy but I don't want to get tagged with the "problem client that doesn't get it"...I'm afraid she'll think she's wasting her time...JFB

I wouldn't try to second guess what your T means by what she says, if you don't understand you have to ask her about it. As Alexandra said, "helping with what?" She may not be talking about therapy at all, but about your general "attitude" -- you can't "do"/change anything through talking/writing and often talking/writing is used (at least was by me!) to avoid doing.

Writing about how afraid you are to look the grocery store clerk in the eyes and say "hello" is not going to help you become less afraid of talking to other people, only taking a chance and greeting the grocery store clerk and saying, "It's really cold today, isn't it?" and listening to her reply and "practicing" conversation is going to make you a better, more confident conversationalist, for example.

But again, that's my interpretation of what you T means by what she said, not your T's interpretation. Ask your T what she meant, she's the only one with the "correct" answer to your wondering/questions about what is happening between you and her.

When ever my therapists have ever said this to me it was not in the meaning of that they expect me to suddenly put on a happy face and be cured kind of thing. It was a way for them to open the door for discussing other options of coping tools that might help other than what I was coming up with on my own.

Suggestion talk to the therapist ask her if she meant she wants you to put on the happy face so to speak or if she coul;d reword what she said so that you can be more clearer as to what she was trying to discuss with you.

For me it takes more than 4 sessions especially when starting with someone new to get things done. Usually I use t he first month or two as getting to know you type sessions instead of jumping right into the hard stuff.

Hang in there

Thanks, Your right I need to ask my T what she meant and I will when she comes back from vacation. I've been shoved from one T to the next and same goes with p-docs that I guess I'm paranoid. I have a learning disablity so it takes me longer to get it and so far no-one wants to deal with waiting for me to get it...