Without trust, how would I even begin to speak to a therapist?
Hello! I am so happy you have reached out with your wonderful questions. You have asked very relevant and pertinent questions, for which I am almost certain have also been on the minds of many others. You were just brave enough to ask.
Trust is a VERY VALUABLE aspect of any relationship, and especially in a therapeutic relationship, since it is quite likely you will be wanting to share very intimate and even sacred information. This can be quite scary! BUT! It doesn't have to be. Here's why! As a therapist, our very job is to make a safe space for you to disclose any information you want to share. We work at setting the tone for this comfortable environment from the very minute we engage with you as the client. We try to ask the right questions to make you feel just safe enough to maybe share a little more each time. Sometimes starting out in in therapy isn't always about "getting deep" (emotionally speaking). Sometimes it is about creating/building rapport and a foundation for a future relationship to bloom. Sometimes that may look like you and your therapist sitting in the "here and now" and just simply acknowledging whats going on around you at the moment- just to see how you may analyze things compared to how your therapist does. Beginning in therapy can also look like dead silence and not saying anything at all to your therapist..... just feeling the space...until you can feel comfortable.
As a therapist, it would serve us no purpose to betray the trust of any of our clients. We truly are here to help you! Life has many challenges and learning how to get through them can be difficult. Sometimes it is easier when you can entrust the help and support of others. Ultimately we don't exist to "solve" other peoples issues. But instead, we hope to build on your own skills and find the necessary tools to set you up to face those challenges on your own at some point. We won't always be around and we want YOU to be the Best YOU - you can be!
Also, important to note, there are few circumstances which do require therapists to act in their roles as mandated reporters and that is typically when situations are presented where someone is being hurt or has the potential to get hurt, including you. None of us want that so our duty, at that point, is to tell the people who are in place to help those delicate matter.
No matter what the case is we sincerely hope you find a safe space to work through :)