New therapist says talk therapy won't work

Sorry if I missed this, but what does the therapist mean by "doing the work" in this case? That can mean a lot of things. It might mean worksheets and thought exercises, or identifying small steps towards improvement for yourself as others have mentioned above, or other kinds of work towards your goals.

I think it's true that improvement doesn't only happen in therapy sessions, but it's also what you do between sessions and how you reflect on and use the insight that (hopefully) you've gained through talking with the therapist. Therapy takes time but I do think that if you're dealing with a reasonably competent person and put in the effort, it can be effective.

FWIW: Personally I am pretty introverted and have trouble feeling comfortable talking to strangers, but one thing that has helped me is joining activities where conversation isn't really expected. For me this was yoga classes but there could be any number of things—craft groups, volunteer work, other kinds of fitness groups.

Yeah, it all depends on what you want from therapy cool09. I mean if the whole point, for you, of having therapy is to talk, to simply release your thoughts and feelings and be heard, then what she said doesn't make sense. That's something which crossed my mind.🙏

I mean yes, of course. BUT. I think neither blaming the therapist nor the client is helpful here. And I agree with Nammu that calling the therapist a Narc because she points out that progress in therapy is mostly based on the client's willingness and ability to put in the work is not exactly nuanced either.

If you don’t agree with Nammu that’s fine, but it really isn’t okay to address another member like that just because you don’t like what they wrote. I do sympathise btw with the struggle you’re facing regarding social anxiety and therapy.