The Importance Of Honest Open Dialogue

The Importance Of Honest Open Dialogue
A good clinician is able to receive, digest, and respectfully respond to any feedback a client provides. It is essential to the therapeutic relationship and process that you feel respected. If you develop a festering grudge, you will not bond with your therapist/provider. That seemingly harmless grudge is like a voice in your head that builds momentum – it prevents the development of a positive therapeutic relationship. Furthermore grudges add up and grow – cause treatment to be undermined. It is like a tiny sliver that grows into a serious infection. Therapists, although expected to have it together, are not perfect people (as no one is). By speaking up you are honestly and literally teaching your therapist how best to help you. The more they understand your true wants and needs, the better quality therapy provided.
One issue I experienced was when I had a therapist that was chronically late. She would show up late with lots of shopping bags and after all this needed time to get prepared and organized. I would become angry by the time session started. And during the session I would be distracted in my head as I was trying to develop the courage and words to speak up about how disrespected I felt. Time is precious! We only have so much before we pass on. If I made such an effort to run around and find parking, why was my therapist not concerned about the time we shared together? She was signaling to me that she had other priorities. She was expensive. And the kicker – she always let me out at the scheduled end of session. She wouldn’t even comp the time I spent in her waiting room. I had a hard time advocating for myself during that time of my life. Needless to say, I couldn’t connect and develop a genuine bond with her. Ironically, was practically famous in our area and was a well known therapist. Despite this, she missed fundamental, basic courtesies. Being late is a thoughtless mistake made by many clinicians!
I wish you all many blessings!

Camille Waldron, LMSW

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Camille Waldron

Undergrad Degree Cornell University
Graduate Degree Syracuse University

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