I'm in Therapy, But is it Actually Working?

How Do I Know My Therapy Is Working?

Getting therapy for mental health issues can take a lot of courage and sometimes persuasion. Maybe you resisted for a while because you were determined to tough it out and get through this on your own. Maybe you weren’t really convinced you had a problem, but other people talked you into seeing a therapist and you went along with it. On the other hand, perhaps you went for help off your own bat, because in this day and age, it’s nothing to be ashamed of and just plain makes good sense.

Whatever your path has been, you’re doing it, but there’s an extra thing concerning you now: is the therapy working? It’s a fair question. Having therapy requires changes to your life, not just in terms of how you’re thinking but practical considerations such as the time it takes, and the travel involved: disruption of an already busy life. Maybe the treatment itself is costing you money. All in all, you’re not doing this for fun, so how do you tell if the therapy is working or not?

Don’t Expect to Find Your Therapy Working Immediately

Sometimes these things take longer than expected.

Much depends on what you’re having therapy for. If it’s an obvious issue brought on by a specific event that caused you emotional trauma, you may be expecting quick results. If it’s a deeper, more complex issue, okay, you don’t expect a quick fix, but you’d like to feel some benefit to show you’re on the right track and not just wasting your time. But what are the signs of improvement?

Remember the Goals You Set With Your Therapist.

Many therapists use the SMART formula for setting goals. That’s the acronym for goals being Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. The third and fourth are things decided in advance that are not going to change as the course of therapy progresses; if they were attainable and relevant at the start, they still are now -or are you having doubts about them now that you’ve started?

Specific: here you can isolate the improvements that should be happening and home in on each one. But are they going to all happen at once or will it be a process, with one leading to another? If you didn’t clarify this with your therapist in advance, you should do it now. If there can be no letter B without the letter A first, then forget about B for now and deal with priority.

Measurable. That’s what this new concern is all about. These things are supposed to be measurable, and you’re trying to gauge whether the needle has moved on the dial or is still in the same place it was at the start. But remember, sometimes other people notice changes in us that we don’t see for ourselves. So your therapist may see improvements, even if you don’t, in which case maybe you need to have patience.

Attainable. Decided in advance and unlikely to change, except maybe in your perception. Again, if you trust your therapist, you should stop doubting this one.

Relevant. This is another that may seem less than 24-carat once the therapy is underway. And again, maybe you should trust the expert. The list of improvements was carefully drawn up by the subject (you) and the professional.

Time-bound. Of course, you would like to see improvements as soon as possible. You’d have loved to see it all happen in a flash as soon as you walked through the door on your first appointment. But you knew that was not going to happen and a realistic length of time was put on it, so relax and let it happen.

Goals can be revised once the course of treatment is underway, but you shouldn’t lose confidence in the whole thing just because certain aspects are not happening as fast as you’d like.

Maybe I’ve Missed Something: Is My Therapy Working or Not?

Think about it again, calmly and methodically. Maybe you’re looking for one key improvement that’s important to you and you can’t see the smaller changes that have happened or are happening. Are your relationships getting better?

Are you thinking about things differently? When an issue hits you, are you hearing your therapist’s voice and approaching it differently? Have you gone past that and you’re thinking about it differently automatically?

Are things in general looking brighter, even if no box has actually been ticked yet?

Are you still avoiding sensitive areas or are you gaining the strength and confidence to deal with them (to a certain extent if not fully)?

Are you using the tips and techniques your therapist recommends when you’re out there in daily life, or are you thinking it will all happen during the sessions?

Can I Express My Concerns to My Therapist?

Of course, you can. Just remember you’re working as a team and they’re trying to help you. Having thought it all through again, if you’re still having doubts about your progress, by all means, bring it up at the next session. They might be glad you brought it up. They will point out improvements that they have seen. And they will certainly want to help.