Top Myths About Therapy in Austin

Top Myths About Therapy in Austin. Cheryl Reeley providing postpartum therapy Austin

Keep Austin Weird

I’m here for it, Austin! Weird is great! Weird is fun! But sometimes, weird is hard. Feeling weird doesn’t always feel good and when life doesn’t feel good, its time to figure out what is going on. You realize you need a change, but what is that going to look like? Is therapy going to help? Maybe you’ve been told to keep your business in the family. You’ve been taught to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. What’s been modeled for you is that you don’t need to ask for help.

I’m here to ask you to challenge those to “truths” and keep reading about the top myths about therapy. Maybe, just maybe, I can plant the seed that allows you to try it out and see how it goes.

Therapists are simply just a friend you pay to listen to you complain.

If you need to complain to a friend then go for it, do that! Find a friend that will listen to you. But, if you need an experienced, empathic listener that will help you identify patterns in your life, guide you as you process intense emotions and situations, and provides empirically-based techniques and tools, then maybe a therapist is for you. Therapists do a lot of listening, but we also are able to take a step back from the situation and see the full picture. We will help you identify goals and give you tools to work towards those goals.

Counseling is something rich privileged people do for their whole lives.

Counseling should be for everyone and there is a major access problem in our country, that is for sure. Everyone experiences trauma and traumatic situations in their lives and counseling allows people to work through those feelings so the repercussions don’t impact their daily lives any longer. Access to therapy is growing through online platforms, new rules and regulations with insurance panels and individual therapists building business models that are inclusive of all income levels. There is a therapist out there that is a good fit for you in regards to scheduling, personality, finances, and treatment type. It may take some research, but they are out there!

Therapy will last for years.

Ok, well maybe, but maybe not. How long you are in therapy depends on lots of factors: what brings you in, the theories your therapist uses, your budget, your motivation, and your goals. Let’s say your presenting problem is fear of flying. Your therapist (most likely) is going to teach you breathing and grounding techniques as well as work through some exposure therapy. This can be accomplished relatively quickly. However, if you are starting therapy and have experienced birth trauma and are now in the midst of postpartum depression, this might take more time. The therapist will need to build trust in the relationship in order to process the birth trauma as well as manage safety and depression symptoms. Therapists should give you an indication of how long clients are usually seeing them and then work with you and your specific situation.

Your therapist is just doing this for the money.

It is the job that we chose and part of the job is getting paid for the service we provide, but this is special work and we take that very seriously. I particularly take this job very seriously because I know the pregnant and postpartum clients I work with are feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed, sleep-deprived, and as if they are falling short of being the perfect mother. I work with clients who have experienced the loss of a child or the loss of a wanted pregnancy. Being able to hold space for these clients during their most difficult moments is a gift and I know not anyone can do it. It is definitely not about the money for me.

You shouldn’t expect to see real changes from going to therapy

If you go into therapy with this attitude then likely you won’t see much change. The work that we do in a session is for you and to help you outside of the session. One of the first things I was taught when I was getting my education in Social Work was to be aware of when I was working harder than the client. It took some time but I am much better at recognizing these situations now and I will address it in a session. Some therapists are skilled and passionate about working with clients who are court-mandated or have been told by a partner or a parent that they “have” to attend therapy, and I applaud those therapists because they have to do some hard work in order to gain the trust of that client and be able to see positive outcomes.

You might end up dating your therapist

This is against every ethical guideline we adhere to. If your therapist initiates or agrees to a relationship outside of the therapeutic relationship, you have every right and responsibility to report them to their licensing board. It is absolutely unacceptable for a therapist to take advantage of the relationship built during therapy and they need to be stopped. There are absolutely no exceptions to this.

I hope this helps dispel some common myths about therapy and gives you the confidence you need to find a therapist in Austin. If you are still feeling stuck, feel free to call me at 512-641-9528 for a free 15-minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to the right person. If you are looking for help with anxiety, grief counseling, or parenting contact me here.

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