Andre
Sometimes people miss or fail to understand what it feels like to have good therapy. Though therapy can come in many different forms, they all have the same working procedure and utilize similar elements. Most of the points we will be listing here is gotten from Gregg Henriques, Ph.D. research work which gave a more concise, yet comprehensive analysis of therapeutic ingredients. The question we will be answering here in this article borders around the ingredients that make up good psychotherapy, which is actually one of the topics that has created much discussion among both therapists and their clients.
When people talk about the therapeutic alliance, their minds go to the quality of the therapy. Bordin, a therapy expert, disclosed that there are three notable elements that make up the therapeutic alliance which is currently explored in different psychotherapy research. The first element is called the relationship quality, which is usually called the “bond.”
This element can also be characterized further by looking at the client’s perception of the therapist. This has more to do with the amount of trust the client has in the therapist. The amount of trust your clients have for you as a therapist is directly proportional to how safe they feel while they are with you. Another thing to note is the perception of the therapist about the client. How humble the client is to the therapist matters a lot because that’s the only way he/she can penetrate your psych to understand your actual feelings.
The second element is called shared conceptualization. It is a method by which the problems that led to the problem is discussed and understood, which then hopefully leads to a resolution. Most of the time it is called ‘goals.’ All of this strategy and methodology boils down to having an in-depth knowledge of the client’s situation, feeling, and position. The third element of this alliance is the therapy itself, and is called the “task.” It is divided into three parts: the feeling, past/present, and self. It is used to keep track of the therapeutic process.
7 Essential Ingredients of Good Therapy
1. Experienced, Motivated
The therapist in carrying out the therapy must be an experienced professional who must have seen different cases from different patients. The therapist must also be motivated in doing his/her part. An average therapist conducting a session is like a bank of positive energy where the patient needs to draw some of this energy when they need it most. So, therefore, remaining motivated is one of the essential ingredients in therapy.
2. A Universally Acclaimed Method
Using a universally acclaimed method while attending to your clients is a sure way to make the best out of the situation. “Evidence,” as it is called in the psychology profession, is an essential ingredient in therapy, because of its ability to use universally proven methods to solve different problems.
3. Accurate Timing
Timing is another important ingredient in therapy. Like a good therapist, you must endeavor to work with the right timing. Know when to start a questioning session, know when to sympathize, empathize, antagonize, and know when to motivate. In therapy, timing is everything. When a therapist uses accurate timing, they should be listening to the client to talk to them. He may lose sight of the underlying story, hence, the risk of losing insight into the individual’s problem.
4. Moderate Cost
Money is also an ingredient in therapy, of course, and every therapist has his/her price. But the pricing must be moderate, affordable for it to blend into the universal best practice. Clients should also understand that therapists are humans, and they are paid for their services. Though most of them got into the profession for the interest and for the love of the profession, the point is that therapy is a business and must be treated as such.
5. Patient Motivation
This is similar to the first one, but unlike it, the motivation of the said patient is and should be the priority here. A motivated patient is a catalyst for a good therapist. Motivation works wonders in everybody no matter from which angle you view it. As a professional therapist, when your patient is motivated, it actually feels easier to hold a session with them. It is like the saying, “what you give, is what you get.” So when you give them half-baked motivation, expect nothing less in return.
6. A Stable Therapeutic Alliance
The Therapeutic Alliance includes Intervention, Relationship Quality, and Conceptualization. Building a quality relationship with your patients is the same thing as motivating them. When they start seeing you as a friend, brother, or sister, they start to give you the useful information you need during the therapy session. Conceptualization has more to do with comprehension. Understanding what is actually wrong with your client. That’s the only way you can understand the origin of the problems so that you can work towards an effective method of solving it. This brings us to intervention, which simply means initiating the right approach to solve any issue you had discovered in your patient.
7. Appreciation
This ingredient contains three elements: Acceptance, Awareness, and Change. First, as a therapist, you have to be aware of your client’s problems by carefully listening to their testimonies, understanding the nature of their problems, and finding the best method to change it. Acceptance has more to do with acknowledging the client’s current situation. This is because by accepting their pain, no matter how horrible they are, you will be able to guarantee a seamless therapy session.
Finally, it is very important to understand whether you are getting the best from your therapist by using the above-listed ingredients. As a patient, you have to trust your therapist and be willing to become vulnerable. That’s the only way they can help you get the best outcome of every secession. On the side of therapists, learn how to be patient with your clients. This is the first time they may be meeting you, so it might take time to build trust.
