Why Therapy Doesn’t Work For Everyone?

Asked by Anonymous
Answered
04/23/2021

Therapy generally works for everyone, however, there could be reasons why it does not work. Let's dive into a couple of those reasons.

One of the main reasons why therapy does not work for everyone is because not everybody wants to go to therapy. Sometimes, clients are forced into therapy by a parent, a significant other, or even an employer. If a client does not have buy-in for therapy there's a strong chance it will not work because they are there against their will. Therapy is not a passive activity, therapy is very much a hands-on treatment that the client must be prepared to do. Generally, if somebody is forced into therapy they will not actively participate, therefore it will not work.

Another reason therapy doesn't work for everyone is because therapy wasn't the first line of defense, it became the last-ditch effort. I think of it as a forest fire, if you tended to the fire when it was a spark, there would be no fire. If you wait until there's a full blaze burning, it's going to take a lot more effort, and a lot more time to put out that fire. Many, many times individuals will wait until they believe there is no other choice but to attend therapy to try to solve or work through an issue. This can lead to disappointment because therapy may not work as well as it could have at the beginning of the issue.

Finding a therapist that the client connects to is essential for the therapeutic relationship. Several times clients are under the impression that all therapists can do the same thing. This is very far from the truth, not all therapists are trained in the same way, and therefore, they cannot work with all issues. The easiest way to work through this is to research and the therapist that treats the issues that you're experiencing and then call them for a complimentary 10-minute meet and greet to see if you will be a good fit for each other.

Lastly, therapy may not work if there are unrealistic expectations. Therapists do not solve problems, clients solve their problems. Every therapist wishes that they had a magic wand to help the clients not suffer, but this is far from the truth. Therapists are there to help the client work through issues, but the client must take responsibility for all actions that lead to solving or working through the issues they are experiencing. This means, that the client will have to put work into the therapeutic process. This may look like doing homework in between sessions such as journaling, reading books, keeping logs, or even exercising. This is probably the biggest area on why therapy doesn't work for everyone, clients are under the impression that by attending a therapy session they will be healed. That's the farthest from the truth.