Therapy As a Slow Process

I will be writing another column on Therapy As A Rapid Process. Today, I want to address the opposite side of the issue. Sometimes it is a slow process. There are several reasons that it can be slow. One is that it takes time to trust the therapist. I used to think that it would be possible to derive a full treatment plan from an initial, thorough intake. Wrong. The fact is that sometimes the client does not trust the therapist enough to tell them what is bothering them until perhaps the tenth, twentieth, or thirtieth session.

Secondly, sometimes the client themselves does not know what is bothering them. Or perhaps they have a vague idea of the problem, but they have a hard time focusing in on it or articulating it.

Other times, therapy takes quite some time because there are years of habits. The habits can include negative thinking, fear, avoidance, and so on. These do not change overnight.

Fortunately for some patients, they have adequate insurance to allow them to stay in treatment and do the work they need to do. Unfortunately, others do not, and they are only able to take advantage of the "front end" of therapy. But that is much better than nothing.

Next time, how therapy can be a rapid process...