When Is It Time to Stop Therapy?
Despite my belief that a large component of depression is biological, I am a strong believer in talk therapy. I have had three therapists, and I’ve been lucky that they were all effective and ethical therapists. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and more importantly, learned to analyze my own actions and feelings and deal with them constructively.
As valuable as therapy is, though, it should not go on forever. As my first therapist told me, “A therapist’s job is similar to that of a parent – the goal is to become obsolete.” In other words, while all therapy goals are tailored to the patient’s needs, in general the main goal is to give the patient the tools to handle problems on their own.
If you’re scratching your head at the word “goal” and asking yourself when your therapist used that word, then you probably want to bring it up at your next session. A therapist should discuss what your goals are when you first start seeing him or her and occasionally revisit your goals to determine how far you’ve progressed toward completing them.
October 31st, 2006 at 7:09 pm
It takes a fairly self confident person to look for ‘earned obsolescence’ … man, I’ll betcha I spelled that wrong. As a parent, I’m fairly sure that the kids will have the tools to make it on your own, but as a parent ages, they learn so much more that they are able to pass on to their adult children. Thank God for my parents who keep me on track with the kids … like when it’s time to forcefully remove that pacifier and when it’s time to back off and let them eat as much or as little as they please.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Twice I have struggled through a major depression. These were both characterized by all the extreme symptoms; weight loss of 70 pound in about 3 months, no sleep, early morning waking etc. The first time I had a wonderful psychiatrist and got great insight into what was the source. The second time I saw a counselor a couple of times, but realized that I knew what was happening and why and I could apply what I already knew. It worked.
I realized that I am subject to depression and I would like to figure out a way to prevent it in the future. Any ideas?
March 18th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Unfortunately, depression does tend to recur.
It’s felt that the most effective treatment is a combination of medication and therapy, but in particular, cognitive therapy might be helpful in combating future episodes.
Also, exercise can be helpful for mild to moderate depression.