Your therapist plays a vital role in your recovery. They’ll likely be the first part of your support system during treatment that helps you speak openly about feelings you’ve never been able to express to others. Naturally, you want to rely on them for guidance, but not everyone likes their therapist. This does not mean your therapist is bad at their job; at the end of the day, therapists are people, too, and their unique personalities and approach to treatment will not suit everyone’s tastes.
If you don’t get along with your therapist or just don’t feel a connection with them, you should request another to avoid delaying progress in your treatment. Before that, however, you can also explore why you don’t click with your therapist and consider how you may improve the situation.
The Importance of the Therapeutic Relationship
There are several major schools of psychotherapy that influence how a therapist interacts with their parents. Psychoanalysis, for example, differs greatly from humanistic therapy. However, every type of therapy requires one key component to be successful: a genuine connection between the therapist and their client.
If you don’t fully trust your therapist, you will not be able to express yourself as honestly as you need to for therapy to be beneficial. You will be more likely to withhold information or even feel pressured to say certain things that you think your therapist wants to hear. This only holds you back, and it wastes precious time you should be investing into yourself during treatment.
A therapist should make their client feel heard, seen and, most importantly, accepted for who they are in the present moment. This means they do not hold any judgement against you for your ugliest feelings; they respect and honor you for who you are today, regardless of what you’ve done in the past or what’s been done to you.
Without the safety a good therapeutic relationship provides, you will not be able to express yourself the way you need to. Your therapist is a guide, and you can’t accept guidance from someone you don’t trust.
Why You Don’t Connect With Your Therapist
While it’s completely possible you simply don’t click with a particular therapist, you should also consider another reason you may not be feeling close to them. Therapy requires a great deal of honesty, and that honesty can be intimidating. You may have things to talk about that make you embarrassed or ashamed, or bring up old feelings of hurt and anger. To avoid experiencing the discomfort, you may resist connecting with your therapist.
Is it possible you are not receptive to them because you really don’t want to be? Are you looking for them to give you answers or tell you things about yourself that you really need to discover on your own?
If you can’t be fully transparent about these things in therapy, you should at least consider them on your own. Then, you can decide whether it’s time to reevaluate your participation in therapy or request a new therapist.
Exploring Your Options
If you are struggling to connect with your therapist and want to change, it’s important that you at least tell them. If you need more than they’re providing, let them know. This can help them do their job better, and the two of you can collaborate to figure out how to make therapy work for you. If that ultimately means changing therapists, that’s okay, too. Your existing therapist should be able to help you during that process.
What matters most is that you find a therapist who you feel comfortable with. They are going to help you work through addiction, manage mental illness, unlearn toxic coping mechanisms and much more. Whether you decide to overcome the current challenges with your therapist or request a new one is entirely up to you, but you do always have that choice.
Find Substance Abuse Treatment Near You
We believe that everyone deserves a chance to tackle addiction with professional, accessible help. Call us at any time at 844-639-8371 to discuss treatment options. We can recommend rehabs, therapists and other addiction therapy services near you 44 hours a day, seven days a week.