Don't Take My Word For It!

As a therapist, I often share a variety of tools and techniques with my clients throughout our sessions together. These suggestions may include a new coping strategy, a new practice to change one's thinking, or another actionable step of some kind towards the life the client is seeking. As I use an eclectic approach in therapy, these strategies may draw from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Committment Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, or another therapeutic approach. What is consistent among them is they are all evidence-based and clients are informed of the rationalle behind the strategy before being asked to try it.

All this to say, different strategies may work differently for each individual. One person may find something remarkably helpful and another person may find the same strategy ineffective. This is not a fault of the person or the strategy, it simply attests to the variation in human experiences and needs.

As such, I encourage clients to not simply take my word for it when I suggest a strategy. No strategy is guaranteed and every individual should make up their own mind whether it fits for them. Really, it is through practicing something yourself and experiencing the results that leads to true understanding anyways.

My greatest encouragement to clients is that they give something a proper try (when they are interested and comfortable doing so of course). For some strategies, it takes some practice to get the hang of it before one can experience the benefits, so trying something once doesn't cut it. Practicing it regularly for a period of time and keeping an open mind as they do so is key. This allows them to really know what they think about the strategy and can make an informed opinion on whether they would want to incorporate it into their life. It also means in our next session, we can adjust the strategy to be all the more effective, problem-solve challenges, or go back to the drawing board and try something else. 

This is why I check in with my clients to share what they think of each exercise after they try it. There is no right or wrong, no possibility for failure. Each trying of a new tool is an experiment to see what works for the individual - and it is up to that individual to decide whether that strategy is right for them!