Is therapy working for you? Here's how to tell

One of the first and most important things you can do when beginning therapy is to make a list of the things you want to accomplish from your therapy. Make sure to share these goals with your therapist and get their buy-in. Then review them every couple of sessions which will give you the opportunity to judge your progress. Keep a written record as well.

Why are setting/reviewing goals so important?

Because it is not uncommon for you to be feeling better simply by having someone to talk to. This isn't the healthiest situation and is not what you set out to accomplish. Worse it could lead you to becoming dependent on your therapist. A skilled therapist will recognize this and either establish a new course of treatment or suggest a different therapist.

A good analogy for psychotherapy is physical therapy. For anyone who's had PT you know that good physical therapy involves participation on both your and your therapist's part. You probably ask them what the expected recovery milestones are and time-lines for them. And if things don't improve you'd probably find a new physical therapist. This is exactly how you should approach psychotherapy say experts.

If you find that you are not comfortable with a particular therapist, don't give up on therapy, just try a different therapist until you find a good fit.

Remember that your goal should be lasting life change and not simply immediate relief. To do this, you will need a skilled therapist that is in tune with you (and visa-versa), finding that might take work and after you find them getting better certainly will take work. But as anyone who has succeeded in therapy will tell you, it's worth every minute of effort.

Source: Los Angeles Times