10 reasons why psychological therapy may not work
The reasons that lead individuals to go to psychological therapy to solve a disorder or overcome the discomfort they feel are different and varied. Many think that it will be easy and they will not have to struggle during the process, others will resist the change, and others may be misdiagnosed.
In some cases, even go to psychological therapy it can be counterproductive (aggravate the problems that the person presents). Although a remarkable percentage of patients improve, others do not achieve their goals and abandon the therapy.
Psychological therapy not very effective
What reasons lead a person to not comply with the treatment? What causes patients to sometimes end the therapeutic relationship with a sense of not having achieved the goals? Here are the main reasons why psychological therapy may not work:
1. Lack of psychological resources of the patient
Is the intervention accessible to the patient? In other words, are you being provided with the necessary tools so that you can improve correctly? Can you use them? For example, maybe a patient does not work for a type of psychological therapy that demands a great emotional involvement since his degree of emotional maturity is below what the therapy requires.
That patient may need prior emotional training since he does not have developed Emotional Intelligence skills. On the other hand, the patient may have a low cultural or intellectual capacity that makes it difficult to treat.
2. The patient seeks to heal without effort or involvement
Psychological therapy implies some commitment on the part of the patient to be able to progress. Psychological disorders are not the same as a headache, that is, they require a active involvement of the patient . If he does not perform the tasks or apply the strategies that are worked on in the sessions, it will hardly improve.
3. The patient does not accept the psychologist's word
The patient may not accept that the psychologist tells him certain things. You may also not accept that you question your beliefs or principles . If a person is on the defensive, it can hardly be persuaded to improve.
4. Lack of motivation on the part of the patient
This point has to do with motivation, because if the patient is not motivated it is difficult for psychological therapy to be effective. On the other hand, the motivation may be lost if the treatment demands big changes in lifestyle or when the treatment has a delayed effect. The psychological change is not immediate. It requires, most of the time, changes in approaches or deep-rooted habits, and, that means time and effort.
5. The patient needs another specialist
The therapy may not be ideal for the patient. There are people who work better with cognitive-behavioral therapy and others, for example, with Mindfulness. In other words, not all therapies are the same for all people.
6. Resistance to change
The resistance to change it has to do with a more or less conscious resistance. For example, the patient does not want to lose the treatment he receives or the psychological dependence, anticipates negative consequences after the change, does not want the loss of payments or fears the uncertainty.
7. The environment favors keeping the problem
Certain environments or behaviors harm patient recovery . For example, a person who wants to improve their problems with alcohol and has friendships that encourage drinking, is very likely to have difficulty making the most of psychological therapy.
8. There are other problems that make recovery difficult
There may be a poor diagnosis by the therapist because there are deeper problems to which the patient shows. In addition, there could be a situation that indirectly affects the therapy, such as a bad work or family situation.
9. Erroneous beliefs of the patient about psychotherapy
There are many erroneous beliefs that can hinder the process of psychological therapy . For example, to have few expectations of success or too high expectations about the therapy, to believe that the results will be given quickly, to think that going to therapy will negatively affect the image itself, et cetera. People, sometimes, have a wrong view of the possibilities of action of the psychologist. The psychologist will not make his patient a happy person, the objective is for the patient to own his own life, and to have the knowledge, means and skills necessary to improve his well-being and solve the problems that are presented to him.
In fact, there are myths and clichés about the profession of psychologist that we summarize in the article:
"The phrases that most psychologists hate to hear"10. Bad relationship therapist-patient
It is very important that there is a good relationship of communication and understanding between the patient and the therapist, that produces a good therapeutic alliance. If there are problems in the interpersonal relationship, the expected benefits may not be produced. The cause of this may be a lack of understanding between both, the therapist's or the patient's attitude or, simply, that there is no feeling between both and there is no relationship of trust.
