Why I Incessantly Yammer On About "The Fit"
I tell every new client the same thing at our first appointment:
“Just because you’re here with me today doesn’t mean you’re stuck with me.”
Sometimes I get a chuckle, often a curious look. So, I explain:
Abundant research has demonstrated that the number one predictor of success in therapy is the quality of the relationship between client and therapist, and my experience as a therapist completely supports this. In other words, clients typically get what they’re looking for from therapy when they have a good connection or “click” with their therapist.
Since we know the fit between client and therapist is so important, VFT therapists regularly ask for feedback from our clients. This often happens at the end of a session with a question like, “How was this for you today?”. We take note of what you share, work hard to implement it, and encourage you to help us out by being generous with your critiques and accolades, and letting us know if you have feedback to offer anytime, even if we aren’t asking.
Without the “click”, good work can still be done, but why settle for good when you could have great? Sometimes it’s the therapist’s vibe, their style or approach to doing therapy, or even the way they laugh! If it doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t feel right, and that is totally okay – you’re not stuck with us. We want to see you get what you need from therapy and we’re so invested in that, we’ll help you find someone who is a better fit if it turns out it isn’t us.
Having a great fit between client and therapist is the difference between a positive experience and a 'meh', or worse yet, negative one. It's the difference between therapy feeling like an investment and a burdensome expense. It's the difference between feeling alone with the thing that's troubling you and feeling like you're sharing the weight of a heavy load with someone capable of carrying it.
We believe in the importance of "The Fit" so much that we invest in making sure you find that person before we've even taken a toonie from you. We do this by:
Maintaining detailed therapist bios on our Therapists page
Offering free 15-minute consultations so you can get a feel for a potential therapist before you commit to paying for a session
Providing a list of suggested questions you can use to interview us to make the most of your consultation or first session
Everyone deserves the feeling that comes from finding the right fit. I don't harp on and on (and on) about this without good reason! We want this for you and we want to know what you need to make that happen. If you're not sure what exactly "The Fit" should feel like, you might like this blog post. And as always, if you have any questions, please reach out -- we're happy to help.
BLOG AUTHOR
JODIE VOTH
JODIE IS A FULL-TIME THERAPIST AND OWNER OF VOTH FAMILY THERAPY.