What Is Good Therapy?
Ask the Experts | Thad Galvin
A: Though there are many types of therapy, the process is essentially a collaboration between the client or patient and a therapist, hopefully held by a positive and supportive relationship, in which the client can speak their truth, tell their story, and get a fresh perspective on the elements of the problem, and discover ways to heal, transcend, improve, and ultimately have a better experience of their life. At its root, it’s two people just talking; but the scope, focus, and nature of what’s spoken about can be, and often is, life changing.
Good therapy begins with an acknowledgment that there is a problem, and an intention to get some help addressing the problem. It’s that simple, and yet for some, it’s not easy. The lion’s share of most people’s inability to engage in the process lies in resistance or avoidance, or a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge about what happens in therapy.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. What if there was a way to find out more about this therapy thing, without committing to the process or making an appointment? At the Family Center a small group of therapists decided to launch a program to talk about different aspects of therapy, that’s free to the public, where you could ask any questions you have about the process and have them answered by actual practicing therapists.
Our intention here is to clear up some of the mystery or stigma that can sometimes prevent people from taking that first step, and to expand people’s understanding of what kinds of services are available, or how broadly our lives can be affected by patterns of thinking and emotions. For example: did you know that our thoughts and experiences and emotions can literally become our biology? Science has identified that chronic conditions like stress are related to gastrointestinal conditions like heartburn, indigestion, nausea, and associated lower abdominal pain, in addition to conditions like panic attacks, IBS, GERD, ulcers, insomnia, etc. Similarly, repressed anger/hostility and depression are strongly associated with hypertension, heart disease, strokes, chronic pain, eating disorders, and substance abuse/dependence, amongst many other maladies.
Thad Galvin, LMSW is the founder of Calm Safe Place, LLC, a Grosse Pointe-based therapy practice designed to address attachment-based trauma and encourage patients to connect with their whole selves and the world around them in ways that provide meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.