6 mins

Why therapies fail

Is it possible that therapy won’t work for me?

Perhaps you’ve seen a therapist in the past, or maybe tried working with a life coach or a consultant who is trained in a particular healing modality. Perhaps you’ve never experienced any form of therapy before and this is all very new to you. Regardless of how much past experience you’ve had, it’s important to know what to look out for when seeking out a professional to help improve your mental well-being.

In this article, we’re going to explore what makes for a good therapeutic relationship – one where both parties experience satisfying results, and ultimately, where you as a client feel that you’ve made great strides on an issue that may have been bothersome for years. Part of this discussion involves understanding why therapies fail in the first place and how your desire to embark on a journey of change will be essential in forming a successful outcome.

Why therapies fail

Time and time again, we’ve had clients come to us after working with other therapists, or after trying other forms of coaching/healing that simply didn’t produce long-term results. They will tell us that they simply didn’t click with their well-meaning practitioner, or that the practitioner was supportive but once the treatment was over the behavioural shifts/changes they experienced early on didn’t last.

Because our team of 25+ practitioners features experienced psychologists, we have experience with multiple models of therapy and just about every type of mental health challenge – even when symptoms appear highly unusual or unlike those presented by anyone else.

We completely understand how important it is for a client to feel comfortable with their practitioner and we can quickly determine and assess how to ensure you’re working with the professional who is right for you.

Determining the best therapeutic approach

Our Initial Consultation will help us determine the best therapeutic approach for your current situation. You’ll be assessed by a Consultant Psychiatrist (who is also a Specialist Psychotherapist) who will find out about your present difficulties, background history, family situation, relationships and current life situation. The consultant will then quickly synthesise the information presented and gain a psychological understanding of why the client is experiencing emotional pain, trauma, or difficulties.

From this point, the consultant is able to formulate a therapeutic approach that will be able to swiftly and accurately target their client’s difficulties. The consultant will also usually develop an approach that anticipates any barriers or sabotaging patterns that a client’s subconscious might use to resist or delay progress.

Your needs and your expectations

Client expectations are really important when it comes to achieving a successful outcome. Some people come to us just wanting to experience change in how they respond to their everyday world, without delving into the underlying causes that come from childhood. For these people, a course of CBT may be all that’s needed to feel that the time invested has been worthwhile and will provide results that they can count on for the rest of their lives.

Then there are others who will want to explore deeper and resolve issues at the core of their lives, that might be fundamentally blocking progress in their careers, marriages and families. We have many clients who have committed to healing their lives from the inside out, and will see us on a regular basis for years at a stretch. Regardless of what you want to achieve out of a therapeutic relationship, what’s most important is that you know what you’d like to achieve and that you can commit to the process of change. Your willingness to change is really the key ingredient, when it comes to determining how successful a form of therapy is going to be.

As for mapping out what’s possible and what you’d like to achieve, don’t worry, this is not all on your shoulders. Our consultants will help map out the right course of action and will work with you to make adjustments over time and keep everything on track.

Matching the right consultant to your needs

While all of our dually-trained therapists have ample experience in every therapeutic modality, some of our therapists have specialised in certain areas, due to personal talents or interests in those fields. Our Initial Consultation will also determine who will be best at helping you achieve the results you’re after.

This is one of the main benefits of working with a clinic as large as ours. Working with a single independent psychiatrist will certainly help you achieve results, however, you may find yourself limited to the expertise or knowledge of just one person. Whereas, in a dynamic clinic environment like ours, where consultants work together and are always keeping abreast with the latest developments in the field of psychiatry, you can be sure to benefit from the massive wealth of experience and knowledge a clinic like ours has to offer.

And finally, you’re not alone

When it comes to mental health, many people choose to go it alone. They’d prefer to read a few books on the subject, perhaps watch counselling videos on youtube, or get a limited form of emotional support from family or friends.

All of these methods are certainly able to provide results – however, by appointing someone to work with you personally on your wellness journey, you are committing to a level of healing that can easily surpass what you’re able to achieve on your own. The therapeutic benefits of being heard, seen and understood by another person who genuinely cares about your growth can’t be quantified, and add massively to repairing your individual sense of self and who you are at your core.

We’ve helped countless individuals, families and even organisations achieve massive improvements to their mental wellbeing. If you would like to discuss how we can help you achieve life-changing results, then simply contact us for a confidential chat.

Dr Elena Touroni

Dr Elena Touroni

19 September 2018

"Dr. Elena Touroni is a skilled and experienced Consultant Psychologist with a track record of delivering high-quality services for individuals with all common emotional difficulties and those with a diagnosis of personality disorder. She is experienced in service design and delivery, the management of multi-disciplinary teams, organisational consultancy, and development and delivery of both national and bespoke training to providers in the statutory and non-statutory sector."

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Marina Hilleary

Dr Marina Hilleary is a Clinical Psychologist working in the NHS and private practice. She completed her BSc in Psychology at the University of Exeter, graduating with first-class honours and was subsequently awarded an MSc in Mental Health Studies and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London.

Dr Hilleary has 9 years of clinical experience in various NHS mental health settings, her current position being on a Specialist Adolescent Team at a Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). She has a specialist interest in working with children, young people and their families and has worked with young people presenting with a wide range of difficulties including depression, low self-esteem, anxiety (specific phobias, GAD, social anxiety, separation anxiety, panic and OCD), PTSD, behaviours that challenge and additional neurodevelopmental needs.

Dr Hilleary is experienced in carrying out comprehensive psychological assessments (including cognitive assessments) and recognises the importance of working towards a shared understanding of the presenting difficulties to enable a positive therapeutic outcome. She draws on a range of evidence-based psychological therapies and models, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness-Based approaches. In addition, Dr Hilleary utilises systemic family approaches when working with young people and their families.

Dr Hilleary adopts an integrative, compassionate and person-centred approach to engage young people, building their motivation to participate in decisions around their care plan and achieve their therapeutic goals. She works creatively with her clients and, where appropriate, alongside any of their important support systems.