Connecting with counselling can sometimes feel like an intimidating process. I believe people sometimes hesitate to connect with counselling because they are concerned they are going to be told what to do, and they have enough people in their daily life doing just that. Or they are concerned about being judged or criticized, or shamed in some way, which may have been a past experience with a counsellor. The best predictor of success in therapy is your relationship with the therapist. Counselling is a relationship, if you don’t feel comfortable with your counsellor, you aren’t going to feel safe speaking about your concerns, which will end up being a waste of your time (and money).
I have been trained in Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) with Dr. Scott Miller, which is a brief, evidence-based system for tracking the client’s rating of progress in therapy, as well as their rating of the therapeutic alliance/relationship. This quick and simple system gives clients a deliberate voice in their therapeutic process: they are invited to make requests for adjustments in order to tailor services to their needs and preferences, and they can visually track their experience of progress. If progress isn’t happening, together we can explore what needs to be adjusted in order to maximize their potential for progress. I like to say I have a helping heart, if you are not finding what we’re doing together helpful, I want to know that, so I can make adjustments that will help you make the progress you desire. Feedback Informed Treatment allows us to do just that.