How did therapy help? Depression: a client’s experience of therapy
Q: Why did you decide to go to therapy?
A: “Because I felt like I needed the help in order to change my life for the better.”
Q: What issues were/are you struggling with?
A: “Depression”
Q: What type of therapy did you choose and why (orientation, frequency, long/short term)?
A: “I saw my therapist for 4 consecutive years, once a week. I saw my second therapist for about a year and a half/two years. Initially it was every week, but as I got better it became less often.”
Q: What was most important to you when choosing a therapist?
A: “Someone with whom I feel that I can communicate my thoughts freely.”
Q: What did you find most helpful about the experience?
A: “I feel more in control of my own life, instead of just “going along for the ride”. I feel content in my everyday life.”
Q: What was most difficult?
A: “Accepting certain truths, learning to let go of things that I have carried around for a long time.”
Q: What happens during your therapy session?
A: “It would depend on what was going on in my life. Usually we would discuss current issues, how to deal with them, etc. Sometimes we would relate them back to past events, and ways of thinking that are not very positive.”
Q: Have you noticed positive changes in your life since you started?
A: “Greatly so, yes.”
Q: Are you still struggling with the issues that initially brought you to therapy?
A: “I still have low self-esteem, and some trust issues, but I am learning to cope with them.”
Q: Finally, would you recommend it to other people facing similar issues?
A: “Definitely. It was a relief to know that I didn’t have to spend my whole life feeling like I did, and that it was something I could fight and overcome.”