If you’re browsing our website or you’ve stumbled across this blog post from social media, welcome! I hope this blog post pushes you in the right direction.
Therapy has become a common subject in society these days. As we look at past generations and the stigma around seeking help, I’m amazed that we’ve made the progress that we have. Despite the progress that has been made, I still hear people questioning if therapy is “right” for them. I’m always fascinated by the mindset that you have to be a certain “type” of person for therapy to work for you. My belief is that this mindset comes partially from the stigma surrounding therapy and misinformation around what it means to go to therapy.
When you ask someone that has never been to therapy what they think therapy is, their first thought is an older man in a tweed jacket, sitting in a chair, scribbling notes while the client tells their life story on the couch. It usually involves the question “And how did that make you feel?” 100 times while the client looks frustrated. I get it, honestly. The portrayal of therapists in the media hasn’t always been great – I’m still waiting on a show that gets it right without crossing serious ethical boundaries or breaking HIPAA.
The reality is that therapy isn’t one size fits all. Every therapist has their favorite approach or their go-to intervention to try and address a problem, but we adapt to fit the needs of our clients. I wouldn’t treat an adolescent dealing with grief the same way I would treat an adult processing anxiety. Sure, we talk about feelings, but I have never met a therapist that didn’t cringe at the stereotypical idea of what therapy looks like. If the stereotypical idea of therapy makes you want to avoid it completely, I can assure you that you won’t find that here.
I’ll even give you a secret therapy trick that you might not know. If you’re going to your sessions and you feel like you’re not getting anything out of them – you can tell your therapist that. Sometimes we need you to be honest and let us know to change our approach. It’s that simple.
As a therapist, I firmly believe that everyone can benefit from therapy. When I was in graduate school (Go Griffins!), it was one of our requirements that we attend therapy if we hadn’t before. I remember being terrified to open up to someone and take that first step, but I also knew that I couldn’t ask my clients to be in that vulnerable state once a week if I wasn’t willing to do the same thing. I won’t lie and say that it was all rainbows and sunshine – I spent a lot of time unpacking negative thoughts and behaviors that were impacting my daily life. I cried a lot and I also learned a lot about myself as an individual and the type of therapist I wanted to be.
My point in this self-disclosure is to say that I believe there is always something to work on. Even if you feel awkward or your first session feels like the equivalent of going to get a tooth pulled – I promise that it will be worth it in the end. Some people come to therapy with a mountain of trauma to unpack and others just need a little support to get through a stressful time. Therapy isn’t for a specific “type” of person – it’s for everyone. Let our wonderful administrative staff match you with the right therapist today!
Shelby Case is a clinician offering in-person sessions at our Louisville office or telehealth sessions! She strives to make long-lasting connections with her clients in order to facilitate positive change. As a well-known homebody, Shelby enjoys living a cozy life outside of her time working by focusing on hobbies, spending time with her spouse, getting overly invested in TV shows, or cuddling with one of her cats.