some opinions wanted

[ellesbelles1909]

Hi, I was reading an older post about therapy. It made me think and I have a question. Any answers would be much appreciated

Comments

[shinedownonme]

My guess is that she hasnt had much experience in the field, and doesnt want that to hinder your opinion of her. I dont think theres any set rule about not being able to tell someone how long youve been working. Though I can see why some therapist who havent been working for very long would feel hesistant to tel thier client that they are new to the field.

Dont feel bad or guilty for asking though. You probably are feeling anxious about how much she can help you, and how good of a therapist she really is. Maybe there is another way you can ease your anxieties. Maybe instead of asking her how many years shes been practicig and how much training she has, you can ask her something like "What methods of practice do you use? What type of support can I expect to recieve from this process? "

How does that sound to you?

[ellesbelles1909]

I wasn't anxious about her training at all really it would havemade no difference to me wether it was a day or 10 years, I didn't ask how long she had been qualified.

I tried asking the questions in other ways, I asked what type of support I could expect, and I got no answer, I was asked to go think about it? Like I hadn't already to ask her the question.

I've just learnt not to ask her anything. I've been going for nearly 3 months now and i still don't see any real benifit and find it an unpleasent experience. I've decided to keep with it as our last session seemed better.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[shinedownonme]

This is just an opinion, but if she cant even answer a question like "what kind of support should I expect", I'm really wondering what the hell kind of therapist she is. A profesor of mine once told me something that I thought was really good advice: You should be able to tell whether or not you think you have a good therapist after the first session. Dont second guess yourself. The therapist should be attuned to you. If its not working for you then dont waste your time with him/her and find someone else who is more attuned to you

[ellesbelles1909]

I really appreciate your feedback. I think perhaps your professor is right. With my first counsellor I knew after the first session I liked her, although along the way i had the occasional doubt but nothing like this. I thought that since I have already have counselling maybe my expectations were too high and thats why I dont gel with her

[thewriteone]

I would her about her "orientation." If she refuses to answer that, find a new one. You have every right to know about that.

[blue_sky_48220]

I'm new to this group, but I wanted to add my two cents. I'm a psychotherapist in Detroit, Michigan. It's not only allowed for a therapist to tell a client where and how they trained, and how long they've been in practice, it's *required*. A client absolutely has a right to ask these questions, and it's unethical for a therapist not to answer them, or to be evasive in the answer.

I hope that helps.

[ellesbelles1909]

I really didn't know that. i'll check if the rules apply in England. I did think that I should be able to know.

The lady is very young and I wondered if maybe she just came out of her training and didnt know what to say. I'm a student nurse and we were trained never to give out any personal info and I sometimes found it difficult to deal with personal questions.

But again i don't see this as a personal question.

Thank you for telling me that. I may ask her again and see how she responds this time.