After bravely hurdling all the challenges in your path, you must be eager to know if your effort is paying off. The decision to seek help is already a huge challenge. After a few sessions with your counselor or therapist, you could already be asking: Is my in-person or online counseling working? Unlike a medication that may ease the symptom after a few minutes, counseling may take more time for its benefits to be felt, whether it is done in-person or through teletherapy, another word for online counseling.

The improvement and success in counseling or therapy can be manifested in unlimited kinds of nuances. There could be positive signs that you are improving, so you may suppose that you’re on the right track, but you cannot be absolutely certain. Success in therapy can be so varied between different people. For one, it can be influenced by a number of variables – the clinical approached used by the counselor, the extent at which concerns are being tackled, the regularity of counseling, and your level of understanding and perception. How the foundation of therapy is laid may also matter. Overall, the question is “are you feeling better”?

Make It Work with a Good Foundation

It has been shown by numerous studies that the strength of trust you have for your counselor have the greatest effect on the success of your therapy. This is because that trust determines the quality of relationship between you and your counselor. The more you trust your counselor, the stronger is your bond. You would know that trust is there if you could tell them your thoughts. Their words may hang like they are around, even when they are not.

Their words can encourage and motivate you because they do not just say YES to please you. Their input reverberates in your ears whenever you make decisions, bringing to mind things that you often talk about. You feel appreciated, knowing that they accept you as you are. You feel assured that you always have someone to talk to; that someone always have your back. A good foundation does not end with having a good therapist. They must also help you set goals and objectives to determine your progress.

Following Your Progress

Therapy must somehow help you feel better, also improving the way you relate with other people. To know exactly how you are progressing in therapy, you may want to ask yourself the following:

1. Is my level of positivity increasing? Is hopelessness and despair starting to go away?

2. Is my therapy influencing me in a positive way, even when I am alone or whenever I am confronted with a challenging situation?

3. Am I becoming more receptive to new concepts? Am I changing ways I used to respond when I am hit by sadness or fears?

4. Have I now embraced new ideas and /or lifestyle patterns?

5. Am I happy or contented with my relationships?

6. Is my counselor really listening to me?

7. Is he/she assisting me with important strategies, resources and processes that I can use in resolving my issues?

8. Is my resilience growing and my ability to bounce back getting stronger? Am I surrounded by a conducive therapeutic atmosphere that would allow change?

“Therapy isn’t about advice; it’s about helping you figure out what feels most authentic,” says psychology expert Dr. Mark Steinberg. One sign that your therapy is working shows in how well you make good decisions.

Finding your right-match can take a long time but know that you are not without an option. To make the process simpler; call us to make an appointment with a therapist independently contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – Fuquay-Varina (N. Main St.), NC. We have a lot of catching up to do. So, call us today.