What Your Therapist Wishes You Knew

The Not-So-Secret-Secret

I’m going to let you in on a secret. Your therapist knows it, too, but they might not have told you yet.  I’m going to tell you how to get the most out of therapy. Here’s what your therapist wishes you knew.

As an online therapist and life coach, I’m a huge fan of talk therapy. Talking things through, whether it be in-person or online therapy, is a great way to get some stress off your shoulders, and get some clarity if you’re in a foggy place. You should be able to feel honest and secure when communicating with your therapist. It’s not always selfish to talk about yourself! But just talking about things in therapy won’t change your life–until you begin applying the things you learn in therapy to your life outside of your sessions.

Your Therapist Wishes You Knew that Therapy is a Process

Therapy is a process. It takes time, energy, and hard work to build that inner strength. Look at it this way–if you wanted to lose weight, you could go to a nutritionist, but you won’t actually lose any weight until you put their advice into action (nutrition and mood go hand-in-hand; if your diet needs some work, seeing a nutritionist may not be a bad idea!). Likewise, if you want to improve your mental and emotional health, you might see a life coach, but the bike in your mind won’t go anywhere until you start pedaling. 

Your Therapist Wants to See You Become Your Best Self

They want you to be able to love yourself unconditionally. But they can’t make it happen on their own–they need your help!        

Consulting a therapist or life coach for personal growth is really not dissimilar to going back to school. You may not like the sound of it, but one of the best ways to improve your emotional intelligence is to do your therapy homework. Therapy homework is the vessel through which we turn all that talk I mentioned earlier into action. If your therapist isn’t currently giving you homework, don’t be shy to ask. But remember, everyone learns differently. If you have tried therapy homework and it didn’t work for you, don’t beat yourself up. You tried, and that’s what matters.   

And that’s the secret your therapist wishes you knew. It seems so obvious now that I’ve pointed it out, doesn’t it?  As always, if you’d like more love, happiness, and success tips, feel free to visit my Facebook page, or peruse more of our wonderful articles here at Growing Self.

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Lisa Marie Bobby, PhD, LMFT, BCC

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, board-certified coach, AAMFT clinical supervisor, host of the Love, Happiness, and Success Podcast and founder of Growing Self.