How does therapy actually work, how do you find a good one, and what’s the difference between counseling/therapy/psychiatrists/psychologists/etc.?
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Speaking as someone with generalized anxiety disorder, who has seen therapists, councellors, and psychologists, and whose work focuses on understanding interpersonal relationships and dynamics, my take is as follows:
Psychologists, therapists, and councellors have one job: to help you develop coping skills and to train you to modify the functioning and reinforced behaviours of your brain to help you achieve personal goals. E.g., managing and reducing anxiety.
Having someone who is a “good fit” for you is key. People find this hard to quantify, but it’s generally relates to what we can call “belonging cues”. Social behaviours that signal you to:
– feel safety
– share vulnerability
– align you to a purpose
These three elements together allow you to have faith in the person you’re looking for mentorship and support from, energizing you to act on their advice.
When these three factors don’t happen, you tend not to trust or feel comfortable with the professional.
On the different professions, think of it similar to a hospital:
– you have care workers, who support you through your daily life
– you have nurses, who provide you the medical support you need for your ailments
– you have doctor’s who diagnose complex problems and prescribe complex treatments to remedy them.
It’s the same for councellors, therapists, and psychologists. You need to decide whether your issue falls into basic support through your life, treating an ailment, or dealing with a complicated problem. E.g., stress vs mild depression vs major depressive disorder.
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