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Do i always need to relate to my patients in order to become a therapist?

#medicine #healthcare #physical-therapist #therapy #psychology

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Brooke’s Answer

Hello Christian! That is a great question. Many people think you must relate to your patient's mental health problems and fear that this type of care could be draining to providers. When providing mental health care, it is not necessary to "relate to patients" or even take on their problems. Rather, it is necessary to empathize with patients and provide them comfort that you care and will try to understand their personal needs. A therapist's job is to help a patient think and work through problems by methods such as motivational interviewing. It is not possible for a provider to completely understand or relate to their patient. Patient-centered care is moreso focused on providing a listening ear and other necessary emotional support.
Thank you comment icon Thanks for responding! This really helped a lot! Christian
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Jim’s Answer

Hey Christian! Working with people and trying to help them make good choices, overcome barriers, have healthy relationships can be very rewarding. You personally don't have to have the same history to relate to someone...it is about understanding their position and having empathy that allows us to connect. In the field, there is training to help you build skills to be a good listener, how to engage with a patient or client, how to develop healthy boundaries so the connections you make are professional. Your patients will think you "relate" to them well by your support and your understanding which doesn't require you to have the same problem or experience. It's about being human and working through things. You can understand loneliness, rejection, sadness, happiness without having to have done drugs yourself or have bi-polar disorder, for example. Doctors give people medicine and surgery all the time, never having had the problem themselves...therapy is no different. Best of luck with your journey, don't be afraid to share it, you will always find someone to relate to! Jim
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Tammy’s Answer

Brooke’s answer is spot on! As an additional note, it’s also not healthy for you to personally take on a patients issues. For your own self care, it’s important to keep professional boundaries. At the end of the day you need to be able to go home to your own life and leave work at work. Empathizing and personally relating are not the same thing. It’s also not appropriate to offer your own personal experiences in the patient-provider relationship As it’s all about them. You are there to provide tools, resources and guidance as they walk through an issue/need.
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