March 25, 2020
My how things have changed. When I was graduate school, psychotherapy was practiced very differently. In the old school, the therapist didn’t say much and offered little information about their private lives. The therapist sat behind you or off to the side. The patient would often recline on a couch and allowed to say whatever came into their mind. There was little, if any, direction from the therapist who often just repeated what the patient had just said. Dreams and behaviors may have been interpreted as representing some intrapsychic conflict. Therapy would go on for years and visits were often several times a week. The therapist was often a father or grandfather image.
Today, in contrast, therapy is conducted very differently. The therapist is often a lot friendlier, personable, and interactive with the patient. Some therapists are very directive, asking questions and challenging patient beliefs. They will give homework assignments and sometimes follow cookbook-type instructions on how to cure some behavioral problem. They are often a lot more available to the patient answering texts and emails. Some give details about their personal lives, if in their view, it helps the patient. The focus is more on problem resolution than personality readjustment.
Maybe I’m old school but in my opinion, what works most in therapy is the relationship between the patient and the therapist. Those therapists who conduct therapy via texting or email may be successful but it is not for me. The coronavirus has transformed my practice so that therapy is conducted via a video platform. That is okay as it is physically safer and you can still maintain the relationship.
What type of therapy would you prefer? What are your thoughts? Share them with me via email, [email protected] or on our KimmelPsychology Facebook page.
