The pillars of any successful relationship are trust, honesty, and open lines of communication. This includes the relationship with your therapist. For therapy to work, you need to trust and feel comfortable with the therapist you are working with. Trust can develop as you begin building a bond. However, to create a bond, you must communicate. You must also feel like you are being understood and aren’t being judged in initial therapy sessions.
Alter Wellness Mindfuli can get you started working with a therapist. All you have to do is answer a few short questions on our website. Through personality tests taken by you and our therapists, we focus on pairing you with the best possible match. To learn more about our process, services, and the benefits of Mindfuli, visit our website and consider signing up for a free 15-minute call to have some questions answered today.
Using Therapy for Everyday Problems
For years, people experienced shame about going to therapy. While some stigmas and stereotypes surrounding therapy persist, people have become much more open to it.
People realize that therapy doesn’t just help individuals with mental health conditions. Therapy can be a practical tool for anyone who needs help with almost any life situation. Whether you’re having trouble at work or within personal relationships, therapy can be extremely beneficial.
Benefits of Therapy for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
The number of treatment options available to people with mental health conditions is endless. We have more options today than ever before, which is incredible. However, it can also make finding the right treatment method overwhelming.
Therapy can benefit individuals who have mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. It’s also effective in treating substance use disorder (SUD) and addiction. The most effective addiction treatment is individualized for each person. However, there’s a general list of evidence-based modalities that you may utilize during treatment. Some of these modalities include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EDMR)
- Family counseling
- Motivational interviewing
The benefits of utilizing these modalities in mental health or addiction treatment vary. These therapies can teach you coping skills, help you learn to recognize triggers, and demonstrate how to handle relapses or setbacks. However, for therapy to work, you have to build a bond with your therapist.
How Learning to Be Vulnerable With Your Therapist Helps in Building a Bond
The reality of therapy is that it requires you to be vulnerable with a therapist. This is necessary if you truly hope to start building a bond with them. A therapist can not fully help you if you aren’t vulnerable. The more vulnerable you are, the more open you will be about what you’re experiencing. Therapists are only as effective as the information they receive. The more you keep to yourself, the less help therapy will be.
In your initial therapy sessions, your therapist will get to know you. They will also focus on understanding your situation and creating a plan that addresses it accordingly. After these initial visits, the real work can begin. This will, of course, require some vulnerability. You can start being more vulnerable and building a bond by:
- Establishing boundaries
- Becoming comfortable talking with your therapist by discussing the small things
- Preparing for therapy sessions by journaling or keeping notes about what you want to discuss in therapy
- Being honest and telling your therapist your concerns about being vulnerable
- Managing your expectations and understanding that therapy is not a cure – it’s a tool to help you manage your symptoms
Building a Bond Through Trust and Communication
In addition to being vulnerable, trust and communication are two additional pillars of building a bond. As mentioned, trust and communication are the pillars of any successful relationship. At the end of the day, that’s what you and your therapist have: a professional relationship.
You can build trust and improve communication with your therapist by:
- Learning effective communication skills
- Practicing active listening
- Understanding that building a bond takes time
- Ensuring you are both on the same page about your goals for therapy
- Being open about what your therapist has to say and their approach to therapy
Remember that therapy isn’t only beneficial for managing a mental health crisis or treating an initial mental health or addiction problem. You may want to consider continuing to participate in therapy on a regular basis.
The Benefits of Continuing Therapy On a Regular Basis
Our continuing care program at Alter Wellness Mindfuli has several benefits. It offers stability and chronic condition support, reduces relapse, maintains personal connections, and improves treatment outcomes. Over time, you may reduce the frequency of therapy. What starts with a weekly session may lead to sessions only twice or once a month. What’s great about this program is that you can access it whenever you need it.
Therapy has many benefits, but its effectiveness depends on how you participate in it. If you don’t open up and communicate honestly with your therapist, you won’t receive as many benefits. Trust, communication, and vulnerability are all pillars to begin building a bond with your therapist. Opening up to a complete stranger is easier said than done, but with our pairing system, we can find a therapist that is the best possible match for you. All you have to do is visit our website and answer a few short questions. To learn more about working with Alter Wellness Mindfuli, call (866) 973-4415 and consider signing up for a free 15-minute phone call to have your questions answered today.
