Cynthia Henrie, MFT

Are You Getting the Most Out of Therapy?

On a separate piece of paper, write down the answers to these questions:

How I Feel About Therapy

I think therapists are _________________________________________________________.

People who go to therapists are _________________________________________________.

Participating in therapy now means that I __________________________________________.

I am afraid of therapy because __________________________________________________.

I’d never go to therapy on my own because _________________________________________.

I want to do more in therapy but I can’t because ______________________________________.

Bad experiences I’ve had in therapy so far: __________________________________________. 

Good experiences I’ve had in therapy so far: _________________________________________.

My personal goals in therapy are _________________________________________________.

My therapist’s goals for me seem to be _____________________________________________.

Are the goals you have for yourself and the goals that you believe your therapist has for the same or different? How? ________________________________________________________________________

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Have you talked about the goals you have for yourself in therapy with your therapist? If your goals are different, have you discussed this with your therapist? ________________________________________________________________________

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*It is a good idea to talk about your goals with your therapist. Therapy is for you! It is whatever you want it to be. If you need your therapist to adjust his/her goals, it is a good idea to talk about this with your therapist so that you get out of therapy what you want.

Do you feel your therapist is helpful to you? _________________________________________.

Do you feel your therapist is supportive of you? ______________________________________.

Do you feel that your therapist takes what you say seriously? _____________________________.

Does your therapist teach you skills to take care of yourself? If so, what kinds of skills have you learned so far? _____________________________________________________________________

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If you have a problem with your therapist in session, is your therapist willing to talk about it in the session with you? Do you feel heard when you have a concern ________________________________

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What kind of characteristics are you looking for in a therapist?

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Are there ways that you block work in therapy? Do you have beliefs that prevent you from working with your therapist, such as: “No one can help me,” “Therapy does not work,” “I won’t tell anyone about my past,” “Feelings are for weak people,” etc. ___________________________________________________________________

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