Over treatment is not just a problem in the medical world. I think it's just as rampant in talk therapy. As this article illustrates some therapists will let it go on forever. Of course they have a financial incentive to let it go on and on and on. You don't. I have friends who literally have been in therapy for a decade or more. At this point it's like a weekly catch up with a buddy except it costs them a few hundred bucks. It's not therapy, it's co-dependence.
How do you avoid this? First off, choose your therapist wisely. Personality fit between you and your therapist is even more important than with your regular doctor. Keep in mind the first visit is a job interview. That's right, a job interview. You're hiring the therapist. You're interviewing the therapist to see IF they're a good fit. No chemistry between you and them, forget it. Second, ask them what's the plan? How long do they see this going on? How long before you see results? For most people with anxiety or mild depression results, not cure, should be seen within six to eight weeks. Third, like any relationship, you must assess it frequently, say at the end of every month to see if it's doing what you want/need. Finally, if every time you leave your therapists office you feel great, this is not good. It means you're not facing the hard stuff and or making the decisions you need to make to get psychologically well again.
More about this on the show next Saturday.
