A Consult Is Therapy For Your Therapy
The consult is an old-school tradition I rather like–inviting another therapist in to take a look at your therapy. Basically, it can be a therapist for your therapy. Like any relationship, therapy is one where being closer to it can make it harder to see some aspects of it. A trusted outsider–a consulting therapist–will see things the therapist and patient can’t. Has the therapy run its course? Are there things that need to be discussed that both therapist and patient are avoiding?
A consult can look a few different ways. One is to ask your therapist for the names of a few therapists he or she respects and trusts and then, arrange for a session to meet with that therapist to discuss your current therapy. You might be surprised at how willing an outside therapist is to offer guidance on whether or not the work has become stuck. On occasion, in our practice, we have invited a colleague to join a therapy session to discuss the work. At times, the efficacy of the therapy itself is in play. In other instances, the colleague is able to offer an outside perspective that can help the therapy through a stuck spot.
A Consult Can Also Help When Seeking Therapy
There is also a version of the consult you can do when you’re in the process of seeking out therapy. Therapy can sometimes feel like a mysterious process. In engaging with a new therapist, some aspects of how they work may not initially make sense. You may ask yourself, “Is the therapist brilliant in ways I’m unable to recognize or are they not the right fit for me?” This is where a consult can step in.
Perhaps you don’t want to see your wife or brother’s therapist, but you’ve seen the great work he or she has done and you have a lot of respect for him or her. Rather than just asking for a referral, you can arrange for a session or two so they can make an informed recommendation and even, check in once you’ve met that recommended therapist. Further down the line, they even can offer their opinion on whether or not it’s a good fit and make some recommendations on how you can get the most out of the experience.