I feel like I’m not moving forward, why? This is a question that patients sometimes ask us psychotherapists. Certainly, we are all different and this is what makes each session a challenge. When a patient feels that he is not progressing No matter how much you attend the intervention sessions, you need to know how to pay attention to the signs that indicate the causes of this. We will explore this topic below.
First, it is important to understand that the psychotherapy process is two-way: psychotherapist – patient. All psychotherapists work differently They have their own style of therapy, varied knowledge, etc. And above all, they are people who have a private life, with problems, emotions, their own idea of what happiness is, etc.
However, no matter how much variability there is, there are certain general factors that influence psychotherapy to be successful. If they are absent, the progress will not be as expected or the intervention will fail completely, leading to disappointment, frustration, anger and, above all, feeding a thought that is very common in people who attended therapy and it was not effective: psychology is not It works, it’s a scam or the psychologist doesn’t work, it’s bad.
Psychotherapy can fail because…
I will mention some reasons why a therapy process may fail, not be rewarding and successful or generate progress that is too slow.
For a therapy to start on the right foot, it is essential to create a good relationship with the patient/client. This relationship must be strong, positive, and based on healthy empathy. Above all, it is important focus interest on everything that concerns the patient’s problem and your life in general. On the other hand, the patient must feel understood, comfortable and accepted by the therapist.
When this relationship has not been well forged and therapy is forcibly attended, this may be the reason why there is no progress. Is about a more common situation in the care of adolescents and adults with addictions or other similar disorders.
2. Work methodology
As I mentioned before, all therapists have their own style of therapy. Some work with approaches based on changing thinking and behavior, others have a more humanistic, person-centered approach… Therefore, the structure of their therapies is different.
Some will begin the session with a long interview, investigating what thoughts are frequent when the problematic behavior occurs, and others with attentive and interested listening without making any notes, etc. On the other hand, there are therapists who are more organized, they keep track of appointments along with the planned session and the material ready to work on, others perhaps are more improvisational or let the patient set the pace of the therapy.
If therapy does not progress it may be because the therapy approach is not appropriate for the patient’s problem does not make him feel comfortable, is very passive or very active, is focused on tasks and the patient does not like to do them, the patient does not like the therapist’s disorganization, etc.
I recommend letting the therapist know if there is anything about their style of therapy that doesn’t make you feel comfortable. On the other hand, if you are a therapist, it is good to explain to the patient what the therapeutic approach you use consists of.
3. Therapist reluctance
On some occasions, patients or clients come to the consultation who have a personality or attitudes that the therapist cannot digest or tolerate. This is normal, it is a person who also feels and has the right not to achieve total acceptance of the patient as he is. When this happens it is a good option to refer the patient/client to a colleague.
4. Patient reluctance
In the same way that the therapist, Patients may be reluctant to the professional’s advances being negativistic, defiant, annoying, uncomfortable, unpleasant, uncooperative, desperate, etc.
If the patient does not collaborate with his therapy process, he will not advance. This is common in therapy; Therefore, it is important to inform the patient that it is necessary for them to collaborate in everything requested, from tasks to techniques that will be carried out in each session to more general ones, in order to achieve significant progress.
5. Some aspects of the therapist
Sometimes, when the therapy does not progress it may be because the therapist is not fully prepared to care, due to fear, lack of confidence in their abilities, lack of interest in updating, using ineffective therapies and without evidence-based, because you don’t like your job but need money, etc.
Therefore, it is good for patients to look for references ask the therapist if they have their license, degrees and membership in order, etc.
If you are a therapist and you feel that your patients are not showing great progress, do a detailed review of your sessions, analyze whether your therapeutic approach is the most appropriate for the type of population you serve, have confidence in them, do not torment yourself and above all stay updated, as the field of clinical psychology is very broad.
If you are patient, don’t be afraid to create a therapeutic bond Trust your therapist and if you don’t like something, let them know. Therapists are here to support those who ask us, so remember to collaborate with your therapy process as much as you can.
