The Myth of Therapy as a Quick Fix

In my experience as a therapist, I have had clients come to me thinking they would be ‘fixed’ in a month or less. These clients typically present as high functioning, meaning that overall they are doing well in life, with only one or two areas they would like to improve upon.

When I assess further and better understand their concerns, these clients typically have a lot going on under the surface. Whether it be repressing emotions or struggling to start important tasks, meeting for only four individual counseling sessions in a month, rarely has an individual ever felt ‘fixed’.

How Do You View Therapy?

Approaching therapy as something that will ‘fix’ you can have negative consequences. Therapy is a safe place for someone like you to learn, explore, reflect, and improve aspects of your lives. You and your therapist will discuss these goals in your intake appointment, which will help guide your therapy journey. 

If you’re not looking to dive into deeper aspects of your life and functioning, therapy may not be for you, at this time in your life, and that is okay too. Career coaching or life coaching may be a better fit for you if you're looking to make small changes in your life but not delve into a deeper understanding of what is going on below the surface.

Is Therapy Just Learning Skills?

In therapy, you can learn skills to improve a certain area of your life. However, individuals seeking therapy in my experience are looking at the bigger picture and how they can improve their mental well-being as a whole. 

Therapy takes time and with that, it means exploring all of what makes you, you. That includes getting to know who you are, your history, your struggles, and developing a treatment plan to best suit your needs.

In order to appropriately provide you with the support and care you deserve as a client, that process cannot be rushed. On your end as a client or a person coming into therapy, developing a healthy working relationship between you and your therapist is essential. This ensures that you feel your therapist is attentive to your needs. Also, establishing a base level of trust is also critical to getting high-quality care.  

How Does Change Occur in Therapy?

As a therapist, in my observations of my clients, true change and transformation comes in consistent effort shown in small moments. For example, if you come to therapy looking to better understand possible self-sabotaging behaviors, you and your therapist will need to identify the behaviors, their current impacts on your functioning, and how to improve upon those behaviors through different interventions.

Each process that you examine in counseling can be different; however, the support you receive in sessions will require time to assess, understand, plan, and execute. Taking the time to do the groundwork, making mistakes, updating beliefs and courageously making lifelong changes could take anywhere from months to years to achieve and that is completely normal. There is no ‘right’ pace in therapy but long-term change has rarely been achieved in a ‘quick fix’ solution. 

Whether you’re looking for someone to help process a traumatic event(s), improve the way you feel about yourself, how to communicate more effectively to loved ones, or some combination of them all, there is a therapist out there to support you.

How We Can Help

 finding yourself relating to what I described above? therapy might be helpful for you!

Our therapists at Catalyss Counseling have a myriad of specialties that might align with what you’re looking for. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Contact us today for a free 20-minute phone consultation

2. Or, you can book directly online with the therapist of your choice

3. Begin your journey towards a calmer, more balanced life

Other Therapy Services Available at Catalyss Counseling:

Here at Catalyss Counseling, we want to meet all of your counseling needs in the Denver area. Our supportive therapists provide depression counseling, therapy for caregiver stress, grief and loss therapy, stress management counseling, adhd and more. We also have specialists in trauma and PTSD, women's issues, pregnancy and postpartum depression or anxiety, pregnancy loss and miscarriage, and birth trauma. For therapists, we can also provide clinical supervision! We look forward to connecting with you to help support your journey today.

                                                                   Author Biography

Marie Clyne is a licensed social worker and provider at Catalyss Counseling. Her focus centers on adults struggling with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Marie's passion lies in getting to know you, who you want to be, and working together to help translate those goals into reality. Follow Catalyss Counseling on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.