I came across this article called Everything I Wish I’d Been Told Before Starting Therapy by Hannah Ewens, a writer for VICE online news site, and wanted to share it. Hannah shares her advice about going to therapy, from her own experience of being in therapy for the past 10 years. She speaks about the challenges of getting into therapy (particularly if you are trying to access therapy covered by healthcare, or the National Health Service, in the US); and finding a therapist that is helpful to you.

I particularly appreciated her advice about not trying to hide things, out of shame or embarrassment.

As a therapist, I don’t need “all the juicy details” just the ones pertinent to the issue that you are stuck on.

Shame and embarrassment are natural feelings but trying to impress me is not going to be helpful to you.

A couple things that she mentions, contrast with my experience. One is where she talks about discovering that her therapist has looked her up online. This, I believe would violate my professional ethics. The other was about being in therapy for 10 years. In my experience clients come anywhere from 1 session to 2 years max, based on what the issue(s) are and on insurance coverage.

I’d love to hear about your experiences in therapy. Also, feel free to contact me with any questions you might have about therapy.

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/8xxyj3/everything-i-wish-id-been-told-before-starting-therapy

For more about therapy see Why go to counselling?

If you have more questions about therapy/counselling Contact Joy Eidse here

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