We decide to start psychotherapy when we feel that we cannot cope with the problems we have experienced at some point in our lives, when we cannot get rid of the effects of a situation we have experienced before, and when we want to understand ourselves better. The decision to start therapy may require a great deal of strength because it is not easy to accept entering a process that includes dysfunctional attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, and perhaps changing the environment in our life. For this reason, the importance of reaching this stage should not be ignored.
After the decision to start, we move on to the next important step: “Who should I apply to?”. Choosing the expert with whom we will share the deepest information about ourselves also requires some steps in itself. Since there is no occupational law for mental health in our country yet, it can be extremely dangerous to start this process with people who are not from the field. For this reason, it is of great importance to question the diploma of the specialist you are considering applying as a priority. In addition, it should be looked at who the specialist is serving. Therapy is applied to various individuals and groups such as children, adolescents, adults and families. Since the dynamics of all of them are different from each other, it is useful to pay attention to this detail when researching the expert. It is often overlooked to look at which school the applied expert works in. The concept called school is the whole of treatment and techniques that the therapist adheres to in the process. Since human behavior is the subject, there is no single treatment method that covers all humanity. For this reason, appropriate treatment methods have been developed. schools; These are methods that contain the techniques that theorists have applied or observed and have been scientifically proven to be beneficial on people. Schools commonly used in our country; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Existential Therapy, Short-Term Solution Focused Therapy, Psychoanalytic Therapy, Art Therapy. Since each therapy school has a unique process, it will be beneficial to choose a therapist who is affiliated with a school that you believe is compatible with your life views.
After the application phase is completed, you have passed to the most important part: The therapeutic relationship with the therapist… The therapy environment; you trust the therapist, sincere It is a warm environment where you communicate, you believe is up-to-date, your privacy is respected, and you are valuable as an individual. It takes about three or four sessions to decide whether this environment is suitable for you. If you believe that the therapist will not be useful to you, there is no harm in changing it.
Paying attention to the above-mentioned criteria before starting psychotherapy will contribute to the prevention of possible negative experiences. Psychotherapy is a process that will be beneficial under appropriate conditions. It should be accepted that the mentality, beliefs, character traits, and perhaps the disorders that we have created in our lives for years, will not change in an instant. Especially avoid those who promise you to get rid of them at once.
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