At some point in their lives, many people seek help from therapists as a means of learning how to cope with a range of mental health conditions and other sources of emotional-distress. When starting out on a therapeutic journey, it is wise to find a therapist that’s right for you, and this may involve some degree of research. Essentially, a good mental-health-therapist is someone who can instil positive change in their patients through a process of learning and growing. In order to achieve this, a therapist would have to have an excellent understanding of emotional wellbeing, behavioural patterns and what they represent, and what promotes psychological-stability.
It is also important that therapists acknowledge the goals their clients wish to achieve and devise programmes designed to reach them. This is usually undertaken by a regular process of assessment and reflection in which progress can be monitored, and a competent therapist will discuss this approach with their client during preliminary sessions. It is also vital that the therapist listens to their clients without prejudice and assesses their problems in an informed and objective manner. Some therapists like to give homework to their clients and manageable quantities of this can allow them to continue to engage in the therapeutic process, in their own time.
Crucially, a therapist must engender feelings of tremendous trust in their clients. This is essential in creating a situation in which clients feel comfortable in expressing their deepest fears, anxieties, concerns and sources of unhappiness in an unmediated and completely honest manner. Opening up is one of most important steps to achieving good mental-health and therapists must help to encourage this process.
A good therapist should also encourage the client to attend meetings regularly, as well as implementing a plan for emergencies and attendance affected by illness and other issues that lead to non-attendance.
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