How to Make Your Therapist's Day
How to Make Your Therapist’s Day …And Get the Most Out of Your Therapy!
by Annie Nicol, MA, LISW-S
Marysville Office, Working with Children & Teens
We all love having our days made, right? Well, your therapist is no different. While our main goal is to always help you, our client, we love having our day made as well. Doing these items will have us telling you, “You just made my day!”
Talk.
Mind-Reading 101 is not a class therapists take in college. While most therapists are comfortable doing some psycho-education to help you understand how your brain is affecting your life, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy works by challenging your inner thoughts, attitudes, and assumptions in order to change your outward attitudes and behavior. In order to best work together, we need you to tell us what’s going on in there. It’s often helpful for people to bring in a journal or list of what they encounter throughout the week to prevent forgetting.
Do your homework.
You get out of therapy what you put into it. Sometimes referred to as your “action plan,” your homework will always be related to your treatment goals you establish in collaboration with your counselor. It’s up to you to follow through. These steps you take in your home/ social/ work/ school environments are important to your success in feeling mentally healthy. Note: this will be challenging sometimes! “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”
Schedule well.
Is your child going to be able to focus on a Friday evening or is their mind going to be on pizza night? Are you distracted? If you or your child wants to be elsewhere, there is a good chance that session will be a waste of time. If evening sessions are necessary, feel free to bring a snack or drink into the office to get you through. Your brain works best when it isn’t hungry, angry, or tired.
Stay up to date with payments.
“I became a counselor for the money and fame,” said no one ever. Your therapist is in his or her career because they love helping people. However, when you let your bills accumulate, getting the help you need begins to feel unsustainable. It may even become an added burden. Talk to your therapist about solutions—we offer payment plans, sliding fee scale when applicable, and can work out a temporary session schedule that works best for you so you can continue to receive treatment without the bills racking up.
Here at Bridges Counseling of Ohio, all of our therapists look forward to seeing you, and helping. We offer counseling in Columbus, Ohio as well as counseling in Marysville, Ohio. We look forward to learning how we can help make your day just a bit better.