Why Is The Link With The Psychologist So Important?
Many people believe that going to psychotherapy is, basically, letting off steam by explaining all the pain that weighs on one, having at one’s side a professional trained to know how to listen to and understand the person seeking help. Others, on the contrary, believe that psychological therapy is a place where one goes to receive advice, to gain knowledge about what to do and what to think based on what the therapist says.
The truth is that both perspectives are wrong. The job of psychologists is neither to be passive recipients of all the opinions and feelings expressed by the patient, nor to be constant transmitters of information that the patient must memorize and internalize.
The key to the therapist’s role is the balance between listening and communicating, and on the other hand, therapy is not a process of unilateral issuance of information, but a context in which two people contribute equally and adapt to what what the other says and does. That’s why, Much of the psychologist’s work consists of establishing a therapeutic bond; Let’s see what it consists of.
What is the therapeutic link established with the psychologist?
The therapeutic bond is the set of communication patterns and expression of emotions that occurs as a constant exchange of information (verbal and non-verbal) between the therapist and the patient, in a context of professional relationship. Thus, it is a process that goes beyond the logic of the internal psychological processes of each of those people separately.
It is one of the necessary elements for any psychological treatment or psychodiagnostic phase to come to fruition. Let’s see why.
What is the purpose of creating a correct therapeutic bond?
These are the main aspects of psychological therapy that are influenced by the quality of the therapeutic bond between the psychologist and the patient.
1. Makes it easier for the patient to open up and be honest about their vulnerabilities
When the therapeutic bond has been established correctly, the patient feels that he can express himself openly and even talk about his own characteristics that he considers imperfections, something necessary for the professional to understand the problem that has led that person to seek help in their consultation. The fact of being able to go to a psychotherapy center and not feel prejudged makes a difference.
2. It makes the patient see the therapist’s involvement
Although the role of the psychologist is that of a professional, in their work there is also room for empathy and involvement in improving the patient’s well-being. In the therapeutic bond, this interest in helping those who go to therapy is clearly expressed, and This gives patients an extra source of motivation to continue progressing. and committing to what the professional proposes.
3. It is a source of self-knowledge
As psychotherapy sessions become both cognitively and emotionally stimulating activities, Patients are able to learn about themselves by paying attention to what they feel and what they think during these meetings with the psychologist.. And the therapist, in turn, adapts to the situation in real time to help the other person take advantage of these self-knowledge processes by asking the right questions at key moments, detecting topics that are worth exploring in more depth. , etc.
Another key aspect of a correct therapeutic bond is that it leads patients to feel a genuine interest in completing the psychotherapy process, resisting those situations that in other situations would lead them to throw in the towel prematurely.
5. Helps see progress
In the therapeutic bond, the joint satisfaction of seeing how the patient is achieving the goals established in the different phases of psychotherapy is reflected.. This allows you to quickly learn about what works and what doesn’t work as much.
Are you interested in having psychotherapeutic support?
If you are currently seeking psychotherapy services, we invite you to contact us. In Psychotools We offer psychological assistance both online by video call and in person at our center located in Barcelona (in the Grà cia district), and we have many years of experience offering therapy for problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, low self-esteem, work stress. , traumas, poor impulse management, and more.
