Will my therapist judge me?
This is one of the greatest fears people have when going into therapy. It is only natural. They fear that the therapist will judge them. I would even go as far as to say that almost everyone has something that they feel ashamed about… if not when they come into therapy, but as they go along and dig deeper.
This is another reason the structure of therapy, the confidentiality and the fact that the therapeutic relationship is not a social one. This is one aspect of therapy that promotes emotional safety and trust. It is a relationship but it is not a social relationship. You don’t need your social mask on in the consulting room. You can check that at the door.
Remember therapy is about accepting and then dealing with the things that otherwise keep you stuck. So giving voice to your greatest darkness the most shameful confessions or even that which you are unsure and just want to give voice is all part of the process… and part of the expected process.
The world is full of judgment-this is your chance to decide for yourself what you think. The good therapist knows you are judging yourself enough for the two of you. Many times the roots of the behavior you feel bad about can only be addressed after you give them voice and the way to give them voice is to trust you won’t be judged.
Our task is to understand, not judge.
It is part of the role of a therapist- to help you, not to judge you.