As a Client, Would You Prefer Structure or Unstructured Therapy?

To be honest, I don't feel as though this is a question with a definite answer -- for anyone really. I believe this would be completely dependent on the mood of the client at the time of the session.

I guess "It Doesn't Matter" would be my vote because I don't think it does as long as you and the client feel like progress is being made and it allows the client to be more open one way or the other.

Effective therapy?

If only it were so easy.

Yeah, that could be the case for a lot of people. This might be a case of me over-thinking as us therapist are want to do.

I think I'd feel more comfortable in trusting the therapist's judgment. They're the professional, and while I'm hypothetically the subject of the therapy, I think it'd be best if I let the therapist use whatever methods they also find most suitable. For the sake of the pole I voted ''doesn't matter'' anywhoo.

I suppose my complete layman's opinion is that it depends on the client. If they're really making an effort to confront and deal with whatever issues, an unstructured approach should yield results. If they're not ready for that approach and are being cagey or evasive, it might be more difficult. At the same time, an unstructured approach might create a more relaxed mood that helps them get to that place where more structure might create friction if they're resistant.

So I guess I have no idea? :3

I think you're approaching it in a good way if you recognise both schools of thought and can sort of play fast and loose, moving between them as you see most beneficial. I have to imagine there's a little bit of an art to therapy, along with the science.

I kind of lean towards unstructured, but I'm also a serial procrastinator, so maybe structured would be better for me personally?

Voting "It doesn't matter" because it does matter but on a case-by-case basis and I've never had therapy.

I would think it's pretty clear you would need to take it on a case by case basis. Once you have a feel for what is most effective for the client use that with them. But always be ready going in to switch things up because maybe it's just been a weird day/week/month for them and you gotta approach it from a different way. We are all snowflakes and all.

Keep in mind of course that this expert opinion comes from my extensive years - i.e. 0 - as a Doctor and ignoring the fact that I probably need a therapist myself. Or at least a stay in an asylum.

I introspect way too much and hang up on things on my own. So if I went to a therapist with a specific problem in my head, then I'd want that to be treated, not some grandiose plan they made based on last time we met. And I'm generally all for spontaneous reactions and reads. And shouldn't this issue really be based around the client and not the therapist? Just as people learn differently and think differently, shouldn't also mental treatment be moldable around how the client's thinking works? But then again, I'm not a therapist. Maybe there is something at the core of every person that can positively relate to the way goals are set.

Interesting topic. I never really thought about it before now.

I think I couldn't give you an accurate prediction until I was in the position to actually need therapy.

I can't help but feel that the people who are pushing structure on you seem more like they're into the accumulation of completed tasks rather than making progress. As if they were more interested in making a good show than in results.

Everyone's different. I guess you should try to figure out if the client would be better off with a more structured or more unstructured approach. So... try structured at first and if you think it isn't work, go unstructured?

I feel like mental health is something that is too undefined to have a single "technique" or set of techniques that the therapist centers around him or herself and uses all the time. It's not like a heart or a central nervous system or a stomach, all of which work the same way for everyone and every doctor can know what to expect when going in.

But, hey, I forgot everything I learned in that one psychology class I took. You're the expert here.

Nail on the head. From my experience, I would prefer a much more structured approach, but the therapists I have seen preferred a more stream-of-consciousness style of just seeing where my mind goes to and sort of poking along the way. However I personally like structure and routine, and having someone steer things along seems like a much better method. However that is something that I think works well for me and realise that everyone is different

I've been undergoing therapy for a few weeks now(partially for first hand research for if I get into school for Psychology), and we've been undergoing an unstructured style. I've definitely enjoyed it so far, and I personally I agree with her reasons for doing it. While she does have goals(we went over my treatment plan last night), the bulk of what we actually talk about is based off of what I've experienced and dealt with throughout the week. Her reasoning is that doing it completely structured can sometimes make things feel too detached, as if your plan overrides the desires/need of the client. Either that, or it can lead to you spending time on something that is irrelevant at the end of the day. However, she is also a big proponent of taking things on a case by case basis, in that every client has different needs, therefore necessitating different methods. The only right answer is the one that helps your current client the most.

Like I said though, as a client and potential therapist, I feel that unstructured seems like an overall stronger approach, at least to a certain extent. We actually related this topic to another thing I went through recently, which was my college interview. I'm 26, so my situation is a bit different than the average college student. So, when I had my interview, they had a very clearly defined list of questions to ask me, one of which was "How do you deal with peer pressure", which I had to fight the urge to laugh at. I haven't even thought about that term for ten years! However, they had this list of questions, and they had to ask it. Then, any time I answered, she was constantly typing my answers up exactly, never making eye contact or communicating with me. It was a very awkward experience, and I felt a huge disconnect.

The danger of doing structured is that it can feel like that interviewer rattling off questions to me. Unfocused, some didn't even pertain to me, and overall it just feels like a missed opportunity that wasn't about me as a person, but just about them asking the questions they want to ask. It felt all about them. Obviously, structured can work as well, as unstructured has drawbacks as well in the wrong hands. As with all things, the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.

I had to switch therapists once, because her style was too unstructured for me. But it is a spectrum, I wouldn't want to be all the way on the other end, either. It's about finding whats best for your client, I think, but also accepting that not every client/therapist pair is gonna be a good match, and that's okay.

No idea. It's never crossed by mind once since I don't need therapy. I'm perfect, just the way I am.