[Ambedo.]

If memory serves, I've seen 7 different therapists over the years. Part of that is due to the fact that I utilized the counseling center at the university that I attended and the majority of therapists there were working towards licensure. So, once they became licensed, they moved on to other opportunities. For the most part, my therapists have been pretty decent (some better than others), but I'll share a little bit more about the four that really stick out to me in case it helps someone else.

I'll start with the bad one so we can end on a good note. My 4th therapist was absolutely awful. I think I lasted about 2 months with her before I put in a request for a new therapist. I probably should have stopped seeing her sooner, but I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. At the time, I was stuck in an abusive relationship with a narcissist and was healing from a few other traumas. Because of all of that, I was in a place where I was having a really hard time trusting people and opening up to people, even therapists. The biggest red flag with her was the fact that she would talk over me anytime I was trying to share something. On top of that, she was extremely patronizing with the input that she gave and it often felt like she was talking down to me or judging me for some of the things that had happened in my life. Whether or not that was the case, getting that vibe from my therapist just...wasn't great.

My 5th and 7th therapists were both incredible. During my time with my 5th therapist, I really started to recognize what I needed in a therapist. She also broke down several of the walls that I had up because she was willing to shift her demeanor to fit my personality. For example, I'm a very sarcastic person by nature and I tend to talk about serious things with a very lighthearted tone. I'm not sure why, but that's how I cope. She adapted herself to that and would talk to me about things in a way that felt comfortable for me. My 7th therapist was very similar to that, although the way sessions looked was quite a bit different because we were working on EMDR, rather than talk therapy.

My 6th therapist though? She was easily the best therapist I've ever had and is the gold standard that I hold therapists to now. Of all the therapists that I've had, she was by far the one that I made the most progress with. We did have very similar personalities, which helped me feel comfortable with her quickly. She was also the one therapist I had that wouldn't put up with any of my nonsense. She gave me a lot of tough love, which was something that worked really well for me. She was also willing to try different avenues with me and often adapted her suggestions if I gave them a try and didn't work. The best thing about her was the way it felt like she actually wanted to find things that would be successful for ME, rather than expecting me to just find success with the first thing she thought of. Of all the therapists I've had, I made the most progress with her. If she hadn't moved, I honestly don't think I would have stopped seeing her.