This content was created by Natalie Moore, LMFT. This content was uploaded by Natalie Moore, LMFT. This is a YouTube video titled "Top 10 Myths about Therapy: Part II" (uploaded 2017-04-06). It is an informational/educational monologue by Natalie Moore, LMFT, a therapist in Pasadena, dispelling myths about therapy (covering myths #6–10). Topics addressed include whether a therapist needs the same lived experience as a client, differences between talking with friends/family versus a professional, concerns about being pushed to take psychiatric medication, the role of childhood history in therapy, and fears about opening a “Pandora’s box” in therapy. The excerpt is part of a short, practitioner-led series aimed at public education.
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LMFT. Hi, I'm Natalie Moore. I'm a therapist in Pasadena, and this is part 2 of top 10 myths about therapy dispelled. Are you ready to know the truth about therapy? Myth number 6: If my therapist didn't have the same experience as I did, they won't be able to help me. This is a common concern in the drug and alcohol addiction community. Community, as I worked with that population, and many clients very much wanted therapists who had that same background as they did so that they could feel understood and like they weren't being judged. But keep this in mind: if you happen to work with a therapist who doesn't have your lived experience, remember this: all humans have the same range of emotions. And if addiction makes you feel powerless, out of control, and ashamed, just think the therapist has obviously felt powerless, out of control, and ashamed in other areas of their life. The most important characteristic for a therapist to have is empathy, which means that they can put themselves in a client's shoes based on the emotional experience that they have had that resonates with what's coming up for the client. Myth number 7: I can talk to friends and family for free. Why should I consult with a professional? Okay, this is a semi-myth because reaching out and talking to friends, family, and other support people like mentors, teachers, what have you, is an incredibly important part of having a robust support system. However, the myth here is that talking to friends and family is is very different from talking to a professional therapist. Friends and family are biased. There's no getting around it. So speaking to a professional counselor can provide you with an unbiased perspective on your life. Have you ever had an experience where you went to a friend or family member about a problem and they just couldn't seem to hold the space for you? Maybe they wanted to provide you with a quick solution or they wanted to cheer you up, or they wanted to even change the subject, or tell you that you were exaggerating things and needed to brush it off and get over it. I want you to know that therapy is a very different experience than that. As therapists, we're trained to hold that emotion for the client so that if they're depressed, we can let them feel depressed. If they're anxious, we can explore that anxiety with them. We don't try to make it go away. Myth number 8: If I see a therapist, they're going to tell me that I need to take psych meds. I've had a lot of clients tell me this before, and I think a lot of people reach out to me because I am a holistic practitioner, and so they imagine that my beliefs around meds are probably more similar to theirs. I will say that as therapists, it's our job ethically, legally, and clinically to help our clients explore all of their options, whether that be considering medications or not. Myth number 9: Therapists only want to know about your childhood. How is that going to help me with my current issues and help me move forward? Yes, therapists do want to know about your childhood, but not because it's fun to dredge up the past, but because we know that if we deal with things that happened in our childhood, that we can move forward and reach the goals that we have for the future. Myth number 10: If I go to therapy, I'll be opening up a Pandora's box and I won't be able to deal with everything that comes up. This is a valid concern because in a way going to therapy is kind of opening up a Pandora's box. Maybe there's a lot of issues that you haven't explored yet But the part of this sentence that is a myth is that you won't be able to deal with everything that's coming up. I want to remind you that therapy is not only a place to bring up all of the issues that you may have, but it's also a place to find solution and resolution for those problems. That concludes part 2 of the top 10 myths about therapy dispelled. Stay tuned for future videos on other topics. See you later!
