Effective Psychotherapists
What is a psychotherapist?
A psychotherapist can be defined as a mental health professional who often uses a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches — which may include cognitive behavioral therapy or systematic desensitization, for example — to help people define issues and cope with symptoms related to their psychological health. They often employ talk therapy to uncover underlying mental health challenges or conditions.
Psychotherapists can provide a range of services depending on their license. For example, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors all provide psychological care, but each one may focus on a different area, type of care, or type of patient.
Connecting with effective psychotherapists who have strong interpersonal skills
When looking for the right psychotherapist for you, it is important to consider how their education and qualifications vary. Areas of study for psychotherapists include topics such as human development or sociology.
How does psychotherapy work?
To understand why listening skills can be necessary for a psychotherapist, you may want to understand what the psychotherapy process entails. Often, it's a collaborative talk psychotherapy treatment for psychological challenges or conditions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (also known as cognitive behavior therapy).
For talk therapy to be effective for you, you might seek a trusting relationship between yourself and your therapist. If you don't believe you are safe or heard, you may not be comfortable being fully honest about your feelings. In this case, it can be difficult for the therapy to be as effective as intended.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and shifting flawed thought patterns that may lead to unhealthy emotional responses and behaviors. Extensive research supports this type of therapy's effectiveness for various mental health challenges and conditions, including depression and anxiety.
Active listening from a therapist through psychotherapy research
The American Psychological Association defines active listening as "a psychotherapeutic technique in which the psychotherapist listens to a client closely, asking questions as needed, to fully understand the content of the message and the depth of the client's emotion."
What isn't active listening?
It might also be valuable to recognize potential behaviors that may not represent active and effective listening. A 2013 academic paper on the topic lists 12 categories of these characteristics that are not indicative of active listening:
- Commanding with a voice of authority
- Cautioning with a threat of negative consequences
- Giving advice that begins with phrases like, "what I would do, is…"
- Arguing or lecturing to try and persuade a client that their position is the only correct one
- Moralizing or preaching with "should" statements that convey negative judgment
- Disagreeing or criticizing, implying that there's something wrong with the client
- Agreeing or praising too often or in a disruptive way
- Shaming or expressing disapproval at a specific behavior or attitude
- Interpreting or analyzing what the client's "real problem" is based on a statement meant to invalidate or ignore a client's feedback
- Reassuring often without listening
- Excessive questioning, which may make a client feel they're being interrogated
- Distracting from the topic at hand
Effective psychotherapists and their qualities
A healthy psychotherapist may make you feel heard and understood without being judged, interrupted, or told what to do.
There are three elements of active listening that you can look for in a psychotherapist, based on an article in the International Journal of Listening.
1. A therapist who displays nonverbal involvement
Nonverbal cues may demonstrate involvement and interest in a speaker's message. In psychotherapy and other situations, this may take the form of regular eye contact, head nods, or open body language.
2. Refraining from judgment and paraphrasing
3. Asking questions
Another potential component of active listening is asking questions as needed to encourage elaboration. A trained psychotherapist might ask you to say more about what something made you think or to identify the underlying belief behind something you've talked about. These gentle nudges may help individuals know they're being heard by their psychotherapist and encourage them to continue talking.
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If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.
How to find an effective therapist who listens
Many psychotherapists are trained to listen to their patients. However, if you come across a psychotherapist who seems less client-centered — perhaps they are not displaying the hallmarks of active and effective listening or are otherwise not making you believe you are safe or comfortable in telling your feelings — then they may not be the correct fit.
Online psychotherapy research
Takeaway
Below are examples of frequently asked questions on psychotherapy and counseling:
- Who is the most influential psychotherapist?
- What makes an effective psychotherapist?
- What is the most effective psychotherapy for treating mental disorders?
- Which psychotherapy is most effective for anxiety?
- What should a person look for when selecting a psychotherapist?
- How do you know if you are a good psychotherapist?
- Is a psychotherapist as good as a psychologist?
- Which psychotherapy has the strongest evidence for treating depression?
- What is the most controversial psychotherapy?
- Who is the most respected psychologist?
- Is a psychotherapist better than a Counselor?
- What are the three common ingredients of effective psychotherapy?
- What are the strengths of a psychotherapist?
- Is it better to see a therapist or psychologist for anxiety?
- What is the failure rate of psychotherapy?
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