Is Your Therapist A Good Fit for You?

Karolina Jasko, Symmetry Counseling Chicago

It’s very vulnerable to start a therapeutic journey. At Symmetry Counseling, we understand how overwhelming it can be to think about opening up to someone you don’t know. Once you get to the point where you realize you need some help and are ready to go get it, finding the right therapist for you will be extremely important. There are so many great therapists out there, but that doesn’t mean each of those great therapists will be for you. Someone can have all of the credentials and all of the experience in the world, but that does not mean you’ll feel comfortable with them. So how do you figure out who is a good fit? Let’s think about that together. Before we start, if you are ready to take the plunge into the world of therapy, contact us today to get paired up with one of our licensed therapists.

Signs It Is Time To Move On

When finding that right fit, it is sometimes helpful to think about how you shouldn’t feel in therapy. Here are the things that you should pay attention to: if you don’t feel comfortable, feel judged or ashamed, don’t feel heard, or leave the session feeling worse. That could be a sign that it is time to find someone else. Starting out with comfort, your comfort level is going to be the ground of your healing process. You need to feel comfortable and safe in order to be honest and open with your therapist. It can be normal to feel anxious about sharing personal thoughts and feelings with someone, but your therapist should be there to give you a warm, open, comfortable environment to do so. If you are feeling uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to walk away and try out someone else.

The Importance of a Judgment-Free Therapeutic Space

When thinking about judgment and shame, those are two feelings that you should absolutely not feel in the therapeutic space. Human beings experience lots of judgement and shame in their day to day lives, your session space should be the one place where you feel like you can say or feel anything without being judged or shamed for it. If you are made to feel wrong for how you’re feeling or behaving, then that defeats the purpose of having a space to process those things. Your “good fit” therapist will also help you feel respected instead of judged. Trust is the foundation of therapy, so if you’re feeling judged for your feelings, thoughts, sexuality, identity, beliefs, etc., then this is not the best therapist for you, and it may be time to walk away.

The Healing Power of Feeling Heard in Therapy

One of the most important parts of being in therapy is feeling heard. If you don’t feel listened to, then you won’t effectively heal. This is meant to be your space to talk through and process whatever it is that is on your mind. It is so important to feel like the person you’re sharing those intimate thoughts and feelings with is listening to you. When you feel listened to, it’ll help you feel understood. Feeling understood will help with your healing journey.

Leaving Therapy Sessions Feeling Empowered, Not Defeated

Lastly, you should leave your sessions with your therapist feeling good. There will, of course, be sessions where you feel overwhelmed, anxious, sad, frustrated, etc. You’re not going to walk away each time feeling happy because you’re probably dealing with some heavy things, but you should definitely not leave feeling worse. Feeling hard feelings is a part of therapy, but all in all, you should walk away feeling good about sharing, processing, and experiencing those hard feelings.

All in all, finding a good fit in therapy can take some time. You may have to vet some therapists and go through a trial-and-error process to find someone who makes you feel the way you need and want to. Every therapist has a different style, a different approach, a different sense of humor, and different boundaries. You need to see what feels right for you. It can feel defeating at times, but try not to get discouraged. We have plenty of licensed therapists in our network at Symmetry Counseling, so there is sure to be a great therapist out there for everyone, and finding them can be so worth it. If you need help finding a licensed therapist, contact us today, and we would be happy to assist you in finding the perfect fit. Choosing the right therapist is what will give you the best shot at healing and feeling fulfilled from therapy.