Listen up! 5 Ways to Prepare for Counseling
Written by: Roshi Rampersaud
Therapy, like any other endeavor or journey, requires tools for success.
A professional photographer cannot conduct a photo shoot without proper equipment such as a camera. In addition to equipment, that photographer takes into account the backdrop, the scenery, the lighting, the positioning of his or her subject that is being photographed, and the list goes on. Even with all of the necessary equipment, subjects, and scenery, the actual process of photography is just that—a process. A photo cannot be edited or developed until the actual photo has been taken, and that photo shoot cannot take place until the photographer has the necessary equipment and environment. Specific tools and a chronological process are essential to getting the desired picture, and the same goes for therapy.
A chef cannot cook a meal without the necessary ingredients for said meal. Sure, improvisation and natural skill can help, but chicken soup cannot become chicken soup without the chicken, a pot, a knife, water, a stove or burner for heat, and all of the other necessary tools and ingredients. Even with all of the required ingredients, if the chef does not let the meat and vegetables boil and stew in the pot for a certain period of time, the meal will be bland and under-cooked. There is a recipe and a method for a reason.
Chicken soup cannot be rushed, and neither can therapy.
If you are seeking counseling, try to think of it as a therapeutic process. Your therapist is the equivalent of a good camera for a photographer, allowing you to have a different perspective of the subjects and environment around you, and enabling you to adjust and refocus to help get the best picture possible. The approach and process that your therapist implements is much like the perfect recipe. If you are open to obtaining the ingredients and following the method that your therapist provides, you are more likely to achieve a satisfying outcome.
So what tools could you come equipped with to therapy to best set yourself up for success?
Awareness and a desire for change: I believe that anyone is capable of change, if change is what they truly desire. If you are not aware that you are currently struggling or that something needs to be changed, there likely will not be a desire for change. If you have gotten this far in this post, you probably have some awareness and desire for change to occur to get a different result in your life.
An open mind: Albert Einstein said it best, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.” If you are seeking counseling, it is likely that the methods you have tried thus far have not been getting you the outcome you desire. An open mind to new perspectives and methods could serve you well.
Transparency: Your therapist can only work with that you give her/him. If you give 70% of the information, your therapist can only guide you and provide perspective on a portion of your struggles. You’d be doing a disservice to you both. Rather, being 100% open and honest in the safe sharing space that your therapist provides could prove to be cathartic and promote growth on many levels.
Willingness to implement what you learn and process in therapy: Nothing changes if nothing changes. It does not matter how much you discuss and process in therapy if you don’t apply any of it to your real life circumstances. The real work happens in the 6.5 days that you are not in therapy in a given week.
Patience for the process: Therapy is a process. A therapeutic alliance with your therapist needs to be formed. A foundation needs to be built. Struggles need to be processed. Small changes over time need to be implemented. You don’t work out in the gym for an hour and then expect to see a six-pack in the mirror when you go home. Have patience with yourself. Have patience with this process. If you put in the work with genuine effort, the results will come.
It is my honor and pleasure to guide you on this journey of becoming the best version of yourself. I look forward to our work together.
Positive thoughts and energy, always!
Your camera. Your recipe. Your therapist,