Therapy is part of Katerina Kelly’s weekly routine from the elementary school, when a teacher suggested advice for 8 -year -old children.
At the time, Katerina’s autism was influencing their ability to manage time, make decisions and socialize. And for many years, the therapist seemed useful. But once the college is shot, things have changed.
“I have always left the advice feeling worse than I started – or insensitive,” Mx said. Kelly, 29 years old, who lives in Natick, Massachusetts, and uses them pronouns.
The skills that MX. Kelly’s therapist had taught them during childhood were not translating the same now that they were older. In other words, they had hit a trolley: the therapy and the therapist were not producing the desired results.
A therapy routine can feel discouraging, but must not end in search of better mental health. We asked psychologists how to identify if you have reached a critical point and what to do about it.
What exactly is a therapy routine?
If you have struck a routine, you may feel like your therapy sessions have blocked or become useless, said Jameca Woody Cooper, president of the Missouri Psychological Association.
You may be emotionally disconnected from your therapist or not confidence in their plan. Maybe you are uncomfortable and tense during the therapy, or you started fear or lose appointments, added Dr. Woody Cooper.
A roadway can translate into “greater irritability while you are in a session or the feeling of being misunderstood,” he said.
There are many reasons why a trolley can happen, experts said:
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You have done as progress as possible in therapy right now.
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You would benefit from a different therapist or approach.
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You need a new therapeutic goal.
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You don’t need sessions with the same frequency as you did in the past.
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Your expectations are not aligned with those of your therapist.
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You are not ready to explore past trauma or a difficult problem.
MX. Kelly had experienced some of these road blocks in their relationship with their childhood therapist.
“When I tried to make new things appear, I was told that we could work in the” next session “, but it never arrived,” they said. “I hit a point where I started to feel so low.”
So MX. Kelly started looking for a new therapist: it took more than six months, but they found someone who took their insurance and was a better solution.
If you feel stuck, your therapist will also warn him, said Regine Galanti, a therapist in Long Island, specialized in the treatment of anxiety with exposure therapy.
“When I have the same conversations for more than two weeks in a row – this means that my warning bells began to turn off,” he said.
It is then that it is time to re -evaluate a customer’s therapy objectives, he added.
What can you do with a roadway?
Do not jump the gun by stopping the therapy after one or two unproductive sessions, the experts said.
“Unfortunately it is not uncommon to have occasionally a therapy session that looks like a Dud,” said Aryyna Park, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Oregon.
But if after three or four sessions you feel as if you had not learned new coping skills or you have acquired a better understanding of your problem, then it’s time to speak, during the session or in an e -mail.
Dr. Park suggested some ways to kick off the discussion: “I feel that my progress blocked” or “I would like to move to learning new or different coping skills” or simply: “I feel like I was in a therapy routine”.
It is also precious to ask your therapist of how many sessions you may need, how your progress should appear and how your therapist is measuring it, said Bethany A. Teachman, professor of psychology and director of clinical training at the University of Virginia.
Although he can make some people feel uncomfortable expressing their concerns, the experts have said, a good therapist will not get angry or annoyed.
“Good therapy allows patients to do difficult things, said dr. Teachman.
How do you know if it’s time to take a break?
If you talked to your therapist of your concerns and nothing has changed, you could consider the possibility of taking a break.
Care can offer “a sense of agency and the time to evaluate whether the current therapeutic relationship is the correct one”, said dr. Woody Cooper.
During this break, you can take time to think about your feelings and behaviors, explore different types of therapy or try another therapist, he added.
Annie Herzig, author and illustrator who lives in Fort Collins, in Collo.
Mrs. Herzig, 43, finally sent an EE -mail to her therapist saying that she was not getting what she needed from their sessions.
Taking time was useful: Mrs. Herzig found a different therapist who has now seen for four years.
“In the end I feel excited,” said Mrs. Herzig of their sessions together. “Even if I cry my eyes.”