Posted by Dinah on October 10, 2004, at 1:29:42
In reply to Ever hear of a consultation on therapy?, posted by Emily Elizabeth on October 9, 2004, at 22:53:08
I sometimes even think it should be mandatory for long term therapy relationships to have them on a regular basis. What happens in the therapy room is so private and unexamined that it's easy to get lost and wound up in what's going on in there, and lose the big picture.
If you feel like you're stuck or plateaud in therapy, a consultation can be a fresh viewpoint as to why that might be. If they come into it new with no preconceptions from either party, and if your therapist cooperates, I think it could be a huge learning experience. Depending on the consultant I suppose. I guess sometimes you could get one that doesn't grasp things quickly and is unable to offer useful input based on one or two meetings. That's a rare and valuable skill. I can't tell you how many mental health professionals can listen for an hour and get things completely and totally wrong.
In fact, I think it would be a wonderful thing for the mental health community (not to mention a good marketing tool) to offer special certification in consultation, with special emphasis on collecting and collating information quickly and accurately.
As to how to do it, is it possible to just tell the truth as nonjudgementally as possible, and be ready to respond to any defensiveness on your therapist's part? The truth is usually so much easier in the long run.
poster:Dinah
thread:401006
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20041002/msgs/401047.html