Why won't my therapist tell me what to do?

As a therapist, it is not uncommon to hear a client ask what we think they should do. Whether it’s a decision to leave a relationship or a job or simply a question of a next step to take in life, it’s only natural to want a “neutral” opinion from a third party. Especially somebody that you trust like your therapist!

While some therapists are happy to give their opinion or advice, therapy at its core is not about having somebody tell you what they think you should do.

The reason for this is that therapists are no smarter then you when it comes to making life decisions. Unfortunately, there is no formal training in “how to make the right decision”. In addition to that, therapists are people too and of course have their own biases that will impact their ability to give a truly “objective” answer/suggestion (ask any therapist about times they thought their clients were making the “wrong” decision when it ultimately ended up working out for them or vice versa!)

This isn’t all to say that a therapist can’t help you make decisions! The good news is that therapists ARE trained to help you explore, assess and figure out what makes the most sense for you.

If therapy is something that you think might help you figure out decisions in your life, Philadelphia therapist Noam Dinovitz can be reached at 484 424 7722 or noam@dinovitzcounseling.com