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  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Maine, United States
    Posts
    1,068

    Not Everything A Therapist Will Tell You Will Be Positive

    Lots of individuals who struggle with mental illness seek a therapist to help them learn how to overcome their issues and look at life in a more positive and upbeat way. Counselors have a positive attitude and want to help those who see things too negatively. Therapists have to have a positive attitude in order to do so.

    However, not everything a shrink will say will be positive.

    For example, years ago a therapist I was seeing told me that I might have to stay on state disability for the rest of my life because of my mental health issues.

    Those were not the words I wanted to hear.

    And when she told me this, I was thinking to myself, "That's not a positive outlook that this therapist has. That's not positive thinking."

    But looking back, I now realize that she had to be honest with me.

    A counselor can't just be positive all the time. They have to also be honest and realistic with you. And in life, their's lots of things that are both honest and positive at the same time. For example, the idea that a person can live a happy, productive life.

    However, sometimes being honest and positive isn't always the same. And that's why a therapist can't always give positive advice to their clients.

  2. #2
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Posts
    25
    Quote Originally Posted by MainerMikeBrown View Post
    Lots of individuals who struggle with mental illness seek a therapist to help them learn how to overcome their issues and look at life in a more positive and upbeat way. Counselors have a positive attitude and want to help those who see things too negatively. Therapists have to have a positive attitude in order to do so.

    However, not everything a shrink will say will be positive.

    For example, years ago a therapist I was seeing told me that I might have to stay on state disability for the rest of my life because of my mental health issues.

    Those were not the words I wanted to hear.

    And when she told me this, I was thinking to myself, "That's not a positive outlook that this therapist has. That's not positive thinking."

    But looking back, I now realize that she had to be honest with me.

    A counselor can't just be positive all the time. They have to also be honest and realistic with you. And in life, their's lots of things that are both honest and positive at the same time. For example, the idea that a person can live a happy, productive life.

    However, sometimes being honest and positive isn't always the same. And that's why a therapist can't always give positive advice to their clients.
    That's very true. My therapist has pinpointed that I do certain things to get attention. It broke me and made me cry because I thought I was a terrible person for doing so. And she just kept reminding me that I'm a human with a normal need for attention and affection. Still hurt me.

 

 

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