Reasons why psychological therapy may not work

The reasons that lead individuals to go to psychological therapy to resolve a disorder or overcome the discomfort they feel are different and varied. Many think it will be easy and they won't have to strain through the process, others will resist change, and others may be misdiagnosed.

In some cases, even go to psychological therapy can be counterproductive (aggravate the problems that the person presents). Although a notable percentage of patients improve, others fail to achieve their goals and abandon therapy.

Little effective psychological therapy: these may be the reasons

What reasons lead a person to not comply with treatment? What causes patients to sometimes end the therapeutic relationship with a feeling of not having achieved their goals? Here are the main reasons why counseling 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 properly? Can you use them? For example, a patient may

a type of psychological therapy that demands a great emotional involvement does not work for him since his degree of emotional maturity is below what the therapy requires.

This patient may need a prior emotional training since he does not have skills of Emotional intelligence developed. On the other hand, the patient may have a low cultural or intellectual capacity that makes treatment difficult.

2. The patient seeks to heal without effort or involvement

Psychological therapy implies a certain commitment on the part of the patient in order 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 carry out the tasks or apply the strategies that are worked on in the sessions, he will hardly improve.

3. The patient does not accept the psychologist's word

The patient may not accept the psychologist telling him certain things. He may not accept either that questions your beliefs or principles. If a person is on the defensive, he can hardly be persuaded to improve.

4. Lack of motivation on the part of the patient

This point has to do with motivation, since if the patient is not motivated it is difficult for psychological therapy to be effective. On the other hand, motivation can be lost if treatment requires big lifestyle changes or when the treatment has a delayed effect. The psychological change is not immediate. It requires, most of the time, changes in approaches or deeply ingrained 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 the 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, he anticipates negative consequences after the change, he does not want the loss of pay or he fears the uncertainty.

7. The environment favors the problem to persist

Certain environments or behaviors impair patient recovery. For example, a person who wants to improve his alcohol problems and has friends who encourage him to drink, it is very likely that he will have difficulty getting the most out of psychological therapy.

8. There are other problems that make recovery difficult

It may be that there is a misdiagnosis on the part of the therapist because there are deeper problems that the patient shows. In addition, there could be a situation that indirectly affects the therapy, such as a bad work or family situation.

9. Misconceptions of the patient about psychotherapy

There are many wrong beliefs that can hinder the process of psychological therapy. For example, having too low or high expectations of success for therapy, believing that results will come quickly, thinking that going to therapy will negatively affect one's image, etc. People sometimes have a wrong vision of the possibilities of action of the psychologist. The psychologist is not going to make his patient a happy person, the objective is for the patient to be the owner of his own life, and that have the knowledge, means and skills necessary to improve their well-being and solve the problems that arise present.

In fact, there are myths and clichés about the profession of psychologist that we summarize in the article:

• "The phrases psychologists hate most to hear"

10. Bad therapist-patient relationship

It is very important that there is a good relationship communication and understanding between the patient and the therapist, which 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 the lack of understanding between the two, the attitude of the therapist or the patient, or simply that there is no feeling between the two and there is no relationship of trust.