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CantExplain
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Default Nov 29, 2020 at 05:25 PM
  #1
Looking back, one of my big complaints against psychotherapy is that there were too many sessions when no progress was made. I went away feeling cheated, and would have asked for a refund if I had thought there was any chance of getting one from the grasping harpy.

What does your therapist say when you bring this up?

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Default Nov 29, 2020 at 06:39 PM
  #2
I We dont bring it up. Sometimes I need the easy appointments for various reasons. We have discussed that and agree sometimes the light session are therapeutic because for me that can be relationship and connection building.

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Default Nov 29, 2020 at 06:47 PM
  #3
Quote:
Originally Posted by CantExplain View Post
Looking back, one of my big complaints against psychotherapy is that there were too many sessions when no progress was made. I went away feeling cheated, and would have asked for a refund if I had thought there was any chance of getting one from the grasping harpy.

What does your therapist say when you bring this up?
It sounds like you don't like her very much! I would say that there's only progress if you're opening up, or (as mentioned) building a connection. Have you talked to your therapist about what you need from her, at all?
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Default Nov 29, 2020 at 07:04 PM
  #4
The one I had at 17 basically terminated the contract lol, but they were the one to bring it up and I agreed the sessions weren’t helpful for me. I had no idea why I was even there!
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Default Nov 29, 2020 at 11:17 PM
  #5
I never had any progress, insight or usefulness from a therapist other than as a place to vent about the illness and death of my person. I would ask what was supposed to happen and the woman would blow me off. Once she said she did not expect a breakthrough at every appointment and I burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of her statement

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Default Nov 30, 2020 at 12:09 PM
  #6
Like nottrustin, the lighter sessions help in building the relationship and connection. I rarely have light bulb moments in session and progress is an interesting concept when it comes to mental health, depending on what one is working on.

Sometimes it is hard to see the progress. Let's say someone feels emotionally/mentally awful and the continue to struggle with SH or SI. Emotionally/mentally they are not feeling like there's any changes; however, from the outside, one can see that they are doing more around the house or taking less PRN medications. Or maybe the time it takes to feel safe to discuss an event has gotten shorter.

Sometimes what is progress might not feel like progress. I came to realize that one type of disassociation that seemed to happen after some set of sessions was actually progress for me. In those moments, it felt like I lost who I was. After a few cycles, it became clearer, that what I was experiencing was part of the shift - healing from traumatic events. However, with those events resolved within me, I was left with not knowing who I was. Not sure if this makes sense.
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Default Nov 30, 2020 at 12:53 PM
  #7
I remember there was a point when my therapist was actually the one concerned about a lack of progress. I wasn't concerned that it had anything to do with him because I knew I was just in a really badly stuck place and wasn't budging. Sure enough, I eventually got past that point and moved forward.

It was only at the very end that I felt that our sessions had ceased to be useful, and that was because I was ready to be finished with therapy - I was good on my own. We talked about how I wanted to finish things up and that was about it.

Of course there were sessions that didn't move things forward much, but often that was quite intentional on our part. We sometimes very purposefully kept things light. And honestly, keeping things light in those moments was helping me progress by not adding to whatever was overwhelming me at the time. Sometimes self-care IS progress.
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Default Nov 30, 2020 at 02:05 PM
  #8
My therapist is very keen to mention how much progress I have made in various areas, unsurprisingly so because this reflects well on her as well.

More generally, I don't really like the emphasis on progress and change and improvement within therapeutic work. I recognise that many people enter therapy in order to change things for themselves, but this is not the only reason to enter into therapy. I like the idea of therapy as an introspective time when we pay attention to our internal life, not necessarily to change or improve but in order to be curious and to reflect. "Progress" seems very outcome driven, where goals are measurable and achievement is linear. It seems like a limited evaluation to me. I like slow, wandering thoughts which can't really be fitted into a results driven framework but which have value in their own, strange right.
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Default Nov 30, 2020 at 02:40 PM
  #9
Some of my session are light and to me I don't worry because thats part of my therapy. I do have moments where I do make progress and that is all my therapist expects. She knows this will be a slow process for me.
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Default Nov 30, 2020 at 04:03 PM
  #10
I agree with those who say they have some light sessions and have that can be an important part of therapy. Whether it's relationship-building with the T, talking about some successes, etc. I think it can help. Progress also isn't linear, which my T has said multiple times, particularly when I worry I'm not making enough progress. And stuff going on in one's life can interfere. Like the pandemic, for example, which halted some of my progress in certain areas.
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Default Dec 03, 2020 at 05:51 PM
  #11
Well, therapy won’t work if you don’t try and put some of the work in.
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Default Dec 03, 2020 at 06:57 PM
  #12
And of course there are the client blamers

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Default Dec 03, 2020 at 07:18 PM
  #13
Boy we cant get away with nuthin around here!
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