Psychotherapy is like a conversation where the therapist listens a lot. Often you may talk about your needs and wishes both now and in the past. Usually people are not used to talking about a lot of things because they are too personal, or because they would hurt other people’s feelings, or for some other reason. You will find that with your therapist you need to be able to talk about anything that comes to your mind. He or she won’t have any preconceived notions about what is right, or what is wrong for you, or what the best solution would be. Talking is very important because the therapist wants to help you find out what you really want. The problem most people have in making decisions, is not that they do not know enough, but that they never have had the opportunity of talking things over with someone who does not try to make their decisions for them. The therapist’s job is to help you make the right decisions for yourself.
Many a time we are confused or conflicted about ourselves. The therapist is not going to try and tell you what he or she thinks you should do, but may point out to you how things you are saying do not seem to fit together. The job of your therapist is to help you keep in mind all of the important facts and feelings, so that you can come to a solution that takes all of the facts into account. This is sometimes hard because these feelings may often conflict with each other, and you may be afraid to face your own truth.
