[Sometimes Crazy]

How do I build up a relationship with my mental health professional?

Having a good relationship with your MH Professional really is a crucial element to making a successful recovery. The vast majority of people that have had a successful recovery believe that it was only able to happen when their relationship with their MH Professional was built. Of course, like a lot of other things, being able to build a relationship with your MH Professional isn’t as easy as me just typing this down! Having a positive working relationship with your MH Professional is reliant on a few main factors that can be built and worked upon in time.

Feeling comfortable: Having a good working relationship with your MH Professional lays mostly in the ‘bond’ between you both. You need to feel comfortable and safe around them. Finding a MH Professional that you feel comfortable with is a very good base foundation to build upon. If you don’t feel comfortable with them, chances are you will find it hard talking to them and opening up to tackle such sensitive topics. So take your time, chose wisely and try to find out what sort or person makes you feel comfortable, and which you think you may be able to work well with in given time. People have a good sense of judgement when it comes to knowing who they feel comfortable around and why, so if you don’t feel comfortable around them the first time you meet them, don’t be afraid to go ahead and find a different one that you do feel comfortable with.

Trust: To build a relationship with anyone, you will find that you need to hold some sense of trust in them (usually, this comes after feeling comfortable around that person). So trust is so important when it comes to making the time spent with your MH Professional a success. On your first visit, your MH Professional promises you your confidentiality; this is originally where the trust escalates from. Over time, your MH Professional will continuously prove him or herself trustworthy. Normally, it takes a fair few sessions with the MH Professional before the person even begins to feel able to open up to them. But don’t worry if trusting takes a little while longer to develop. MH Professionals are trained to be patient with people. And a good MH Professional will understand that some people are a little more cautious than others when it comes to knowing who they can put their trust into.

Commitment: If the other two pointers stated abvove have any chance in developing, time is needed! Commitment will give you the time needed to develop a positive working relationship. So it is important that you work with your MH Professional to figure out a schedule that will work best for you both and stick to it. If your MH Professional suggests a schedule that you think you wont be able to keep or arn't happy with, tell them about it. Work out an alternative. Time with your MH Professional is the key to being able to build up the layers from the foundation.

Up-front and understanding: A good MH Professional won’t pressure you into talking about anything you don’t feel able too. Being patient with you is in their job title, so they are willing to work with you at the pace you feel able to. But it is important to be up-front with them. If they suggest something that you don’t like the sound of, or say something that you don’t agree on, tell them! Instead of nodding and agreeing with something you don’t really agree with or understand, let them know about your concerns, or what you really feel about what they’ve just said. They won’t take offence. MH Professionals prefer you to confront them, rather than keeping what you really feel to yourself. After all, things aren’t going to work for you the best they could, if you don’t agree. By being up-front, this gives you both the added bonus of having the chance to talk about these things and find different approaches and ways in doing things that will work best for you.