Therapy is one of the best ways to improve your mental health—but it’s not always easy. You can’t expect to have a breakthrough every time you walk through the door, but you can expect therapy to lead to positive results over time.
One of the most important factors in therapy is your relationship with the therapist. If something’s off in that relationship, it can be hard to make progress.
When is it time to find a new therapist?
Therapy can bring up a lot of really uncomfortable feelings. Sometimes you can project those feelings onto your therapist—aren’t they supposed to be making you feel better?
It’s not always that simple. Sometimes things get harder before they get easier. And sometimes we get angry at people who tell us things we need to hear.
If you feel stuck with your therapist, the first thing to do is let them know. Therapists are trained in overcoming obstacles like this. They’ve worked with difficult clients before, so you won’t be the first to express concerns. A good therapist won’t take it personally. Sometimes working through your feelings about your therapist can help uncover an issue you needed to talk about.
If you’ve given it your best and it’s still not working out, there’s nothing wrong with looking for a new therapist. But don’t give up on therapy completely! Finding the right therapist is a little like dating. You wouldn’t go on one bad date and give up on dating, would you? So, why try just one therapist and give up on therapy? Just like with other relationships, it takes time to find the right person.
Check out our article on what to look for in a therapist for more information.