How is talking to a therapist different than talking to friends or family?
A professionally trained therapist is able to listen objectively and confidentially to your concerns. They are trained to listen in a very careful and specialized way and are often able to help you recognize patterns in your life that may have led to your current situation of concern and help you to change those patterns. A therapist is often able to challenge you, in a respectful way, to see how distorted perceptions or feelings from the past are affecting current relationships and situations, thereby allowing you to grow and change so that those same distortions dont continue to cause you problems. A therapist helps you make sure you have examined things from all the angles that are important to you. Its always good to have the understanding and support of family and friends, but they are not always able to provide objectivity. When you share your personal thoughts and feelings with friends and family, they may have strong feelings or expectations about how you should precede that in
