X – “Hello. Am I talking to a therapist? I would like to make an appointment.” Therapist – “Hello. Yes, I am Psychotherapist speaking. I am glad you reached out.”

Therapy - the word can be a mysterious one for many as we don’t know what to expect in Therapy. Often our first conversation with every client starts like the one above. It includes scads of questions like “is my condition very serious?”, “will I become okay, will it work?”, “how many sessions will be needed?”, “what is your fees?”

The first rule to understand therapy is that – it is not solely about talking. When a client first comes to us, it is essential to take a detailed history of what they are going through to understand the nature and theme of their ‘chief complaints’. Therapy is also an effective way of improving your mental health, as it gives you a chance to understand the impact of your thoughts on behavior, on your reality.

Before starting sessions, you will be made to set goals along to keep each session structured. Sessions will last between 45 minutes to 90 minutes depending on the on the modality used or the nature of the issue/ illness. You will take the driver’s seat to confront bottled up emotions through a process called ‘catharsis’. Exercises will contribute to learning and recovery but effectiveness of therapy session largely depends on the skills of the practitioner and your desire to work on them.

Now, the most commonly asked question is – “why invest so much, only to talk to someone?” A therapist doesn’t just talk to you. They listen, analyze, diagnose, prognose and create a plan, implement methods, create exercises, engage in techniques, document, research, train and study. A session is made up all these elements, their expertise and well-honed instincts.

A Counsellor may address your issues through “talk” to help you gain clarity and management. Whereas a Psychotherapist uses evidence based structured approaches to not just achieve the same, but also work on regulation, triggers, thought diffusion, action oriented problem solving along with resolution to inherited family trauma and patterns etc. They go into the depth of the issue and work on your core language. This also means that a lot of time and energy and effort gets included.

A qualified psychotherapist maintains a sound ethical practice, thus your information, revealed with trust and courage remains well protected. Most people feel better as a result of therapy, but it can take time to work. Patience and trusting the process can work wonders together when one decides to come forward. Therapy is for everyone and one specifically need not be ‘nuts’ to reach out to a therapist.

Alankrita Bhuyan