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The most common clients' concerns and anxieties before starting therapy

Writer's picture: Konrad A. KociszewskiKonrad A. Kociszewski

Client-therapist relationship and the most common clients' concerns and anxieties before starting therapy.


Have you ever thought about going to therapy? What has stopped you from seeking help? - The most common clients' concerns and doubts about therapy.

If you are considering therapy or about to make an appointment, you may feel ashamed, anxious, frightened, or nervous about starting. Most people have a natural fear of the unknown, which may be contributing to your anxieties, feelings, and doubts. However, you may learn why these feelings are normal and how beginning therapy can help you overcome them.

There are various reasons and excuses not to start the therapy. Fear of sharing emotions and the most intimate feelings, or fear of being judged or rejected, may be complex and overwhelming. However, the benefits of therapy overrule and compensate for anxieties and challenges. Mental health stigma, cultural and societal factors, and therapy's accessibility remain significant barriers to seeking therapy. In addition to common prejudices, some people fear that therapy requires opening up about one's deepest thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This vulnerability can be intimidating and make individuals feel exposed or uncomfortable. Others need clarification about what therapy entails or how it works that strangers can help them with personal and intimate difficulties.


Why is it more effective to seek help with private and sensitive mental health issues from strangers during therapy than from relatives?

Receiving guidance and help with personal and sensitive issues from a therapist, who is essentially a stranger, offers several advantages over seeking assistance from a family member or a friend. While family members and friends can provide love and support, therapy offers a unique, structured environment for addressing mental health issues. A therapist not engaged in a client's everyday life can provide an objective, unbiased perspective, confidentiality, and a fresh start in exploring a client's issues without preconceived notions, grudges, or misunderstandings. The therapist's role as a skilled, impartial professional can lead to more effective, tailored, and lasting solutions for your personal and sensitive concerns. It’s worth noting that therapy doesn't necessarily replace familial support but complements it to provide a well-rounded approach to mental health care.


Can a friend, spouse, lover, or family member be your therapist?

No! While friends and family can be a crucial support system and play a significant role in your well-being, their role is typically different from that of a therapist. It's often advisable to seek professional help from a licensed therapist or counselor when dealing with mental health issues or complex emotional challenges. Therapy provides a structured, confidential, and evidence-based approach to addressing these concerns, complementing your support from loved ones. Engaging in a therapeutic role with a friend, spouse, or parent can lead to confusion in your relationship. It might blur the boundaries between personal and therapeutic interactions, potentially causing harm to your relationship. Therapists are bound by ethical and legal obligations to maintain strict confidentiality. Sharing sensitive or private information with friends or family members may lead to concerns about privacy and trust. Therapists adhere to a professional code of ethics that guides their behavior and ensures they act in their best interests. Friends and family members may have different levels of accountability.


What if you fall in love with your therapist? Can a therapist be attracted to a client?

It's not uncommon for clients to develop strong feelings for their therapists, including romantic or sexual attraction. This phenomenon is known as "transference." Transference occurs when a client projects their feelings, often unconsciously, onto the therapist. It can be confusing and emotionally challenging for the client, but it's an essential aspect of the therapeutic process that therapists are trained to handle professionally and ethically. Therapists are trained to maintain strict professional boundaries and to avoid any form of dual relationships with their clients. They are prohibited from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships with clients and should not reciprocate romantic feelings. The therapist's primary role is to provide a safe and therapeutic space for the client's emotional growth and healing. If a client experiences romantic or sexual attraction to their therapist, discussing these feelings during therapy is essential. The therapist can help the client explore and understand the underlying emotions and the reasons behind the attraction, which often relate to unresolved issues from the client's past. By addressing transference in therapy, clients can gain valuable insights into their emotions and work through any issues that may be contributing to their attraction.

It is also worth noting that therapists, like anyone else, may have personal attractions or feelings that arise naturally. However, ethical guidelines and professional standards require therapists to manage and process these feelings appropriately, ensuring they do not interfere with the client's well-being or the client-therapist relationship.


Client-therapist relationship key elements - How does it work?

The client-therapist relationship is the foundation of effective therapy and plays a crucial role in facilitating healing and personal growth. The client-therapist relationship is the most effective tool and has a very good therapeutic alliance for clients. Better relationships guarantee better outcomes. Achieving therapeutic goals requires good client-therapist relationships, self-development, feedback, and therapeutic tools and techniques. The client-therapist relationship is built on several key elements:

  • Trust is at the core of the therapeutic relationship. Clients must feel that they can be open and honest with their therapist without fear of judgment or betrayal. Therapists establish trust by demonstrating empathy, reliability, and confidentiality.

  • Empathy is essential during therapy. Therapists need to understand and connect with their clients on an emotional level. By showing empathy, they convey a deep understanding of the client's feelings and experiences, which can be profoundly healing.

  • Healthy boundaries must be established and respected to achieve therapeutic goals and progress and avoid unnecessarily awkward situations. Therapists maintain a professional distance while still offering a caring and supportive environment. This boundary helps create a safe space for clients to open up.

  • Respect for the client as an individual is fundamental. Therapists respect the client's autonomy, choices, and values, even if they don't necessarily agree with them. This respect helps clients feel validated and valued. Clients should feel they can share their thoughts and emotions without fear of judgment. Therapists approach clients' issues without personal biases, allowing the client to explore their experiences without shame.

  • The therapeutic process requires collaboration and mutual effort. Therapists work with clients to set goals, identify solutions, and make choices that align with the client's needs and values. Clients are active participants in their recovery and healing process.

  • Confidentiality is essential to create a safe environment. Clients need to trust that what they share with their therapist remains private. This trust is vital for clients to be open and honest about their experiences.

  • Therapists provide feedback and reflections that help clients gain insights into their behaviors and emotions. Honest feedback aids in self-awareness and personal growth.

  • A successful therapeutic relationship should provide empowerment to the client. The goal is for clients to develop the skills, tools, and self-awareness to address their challenges outside of therapy.

The therapeutic relationship is a dynamic and evolving partnership that serves as the vehicle for self-discovery, healing, and personal growth. Through this relationship, clients can confront their issues, explore their emotions, and work towards becoming their best selves with the guidance and support of their therapist.


Boundaries in therapy

Boundaries are fundamental in therapy because they establish a framework for the therapeutic relationship, ensuring that it remains safe, ethical, and conducive to healing and personal growth. Boundaries are essential to uphold ethical standards in therapy. They prevent potential harm, such as dual relationships, exploitation, or breaches of confidentiality, and ensure that the therapist prioritizes the client's well-being. Boundaries keep the therapeutic relationship client-centered and focused on the client's needs. The therapist can provide the best care without personal biases or distractions by maintaining professional roles and responsibilities. Boundaries help prevent clients from becoming overly dependent on their therapist, encouraging personal growth and empowerment. Maintaining boundaries ensures that therapy serves as a stepping stone toward self-sufficiency. Boundaries are the cornerstone of a therapeutic relationship that fosters trust, respect, and personal development while upholding ethical and professional standards.


What to say when you don't know what to say in therapy?

Clients sometimes feel a lot of pressure to talk in therapy. People's imaginations about therapy often involve a client talking aimlessly while a therapist takes notes. In reality, therapy is a conversation. The therapist is an active listener but also provides guidance, asks questions, and gives feedback and assignments to clients. Communication during the therapy is not always verbal, and that is okay. Silence is not wrong. Therapists are trained to read body language and facial expressions. You do not need to be worried about the situation when you don't know what to say or feel at a loss for words. If you feel uncomfortable with silence, try to communicate something about your feelings at the moment; for example, talk about how the interpersonal space feels.


Awkward topics in therapy - what topics do clients find the most threatening? What topics make them uncomfortable to discuss?

Research conducted on clients showed they fear discussing negative feelings and problems in their relationship with therapists. Another awkward moment in therapy is when clients need to share negative feedback when they do not see progress and think the therapy does not work for them. Clients may feel stuck in therapy. The truth is that the progress in therapy is not linear, and it can sometimes even feel worse before it gets better. Still, clients should tell therapists their concerns and doubts about the therapeutic approach or progress. Sex is another embarrassing topic. Clients often leave their sex lives out of therapy because they are too ashamed to talk about it or think it is irrelevant to the therapeutic process. It is not necessary to speak of sexual life during therapy. Still, it may help therapists see how clients cope with uncomfortable and intimate spheres of life and how their relationships work. Shame and awkwardness are strongly linked to addictions and the recovery process. Clients said they feel tremendous awkwardness while talking about addiction and sobriety. Therapists are used to difficult topics and would not judge or reject anyone because of their beliefs or experiences.


Shame, humiliation, guilt, embarrassment - harmful emotions that interfere with the healing process.

Shame can come when we least expect it and wear on us. If we cannot talk about our shame, it will continue to hold us back even when we receive proper treatment and live a fulfilled life. Where various negative emotions tend to define our behavior and thinking patterns, shame defines our self-worth. Moreover, shame can influence us for years and ruin our self-confidence. Most of us have heard the sentence "You should be ashamed of yourself!" from parents or caregivers. Adults often unconsciously use such humiliating phrases as a discipline tool. Shaming children affects their cognitive development and may cause shame-associated issues in adulthood. Psychologists agree that attempting to wield shame as an instrument of change is ineffective and harmful. Many mental healthcare professionals believe shame is one issue that typically brings clients to therapy. Furthermore, it often stands as a significant barrier to healing. Clients often mislead a broad spectrum of unpleasant emotions, such as shame. The therapeutic process includes naming shame to differentiate it from similar emotions (guilt, humiliation, or embarrassment) and also can help the client to normalize it. Shame is a universal and standard human response to certain situations. Still, it should not be a barrier in life holding us back from achieving our goals and recovering from mental issues.


How do you discuss shameful, embarrassing, or humiliating situations with a therapist? How do you get rid of shame to achieve better progress in therapy?

Therapy may help you to understand the underlying issues behind the shame. However, to explore those emotions you need to tell the therapist what triggers you. It would be best if you let your therapist know when shame arises. Because not only are we good at feeling shame, but we have also, in most cases, become very good at hiding our shame. Telling someone their reaction to something we shared caused us to feel guilt or shame is a brave thing to do. Therapy is the right safe space to practice bravery and honesty. Open communication may help you find relief from the weight of shame and liberate you from being overwhelmed, feeling ashamed, or humiliated. Talking about shame can often open a portal, as it can expose so many past traumas and problems. Realizing the need to get rid of shame holding you back from living a fulfilled life is crucial to starting mental recovery. Shame is a big deal because the energy we put into pushing shame away could be spent addressing and working to heal from our disorders, achieve goals, progress, and learn how to cope better.


There is nothing to be ashamed of! Seeking help is a sign of strength and bravery!

Never be ashamed of seeking help! You should be proud of yourself for being brave enough to admit you need support. Overcoming your fear, awkwardness, and inconvenience will pay off in the long run.


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