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Much of the work of therapy happens between appointments, not during them

People with lived experience may help clients make sense of therapy in ways professionals alone sometimes cant

As psychotherapy evolves, we should see peer mentors not as optional but integral to good psychological care

I have always found it interesting that we tend to talk about psychotherapy as though it only exists inside the therapy room, especially when we talk about it with our colleagues.

A client attends for 50 minutes, we formulate, explore, challenge, reflect, and agree on homework and then they leave until next week. This is how therapists usually speak about their work in professional and sometimes personal settings.

My experience is teaching me something rather different.

Can Sharing Lived Experience Help Clients Make Sense of Therapy?

Some of the most important therapeutic moments happen after the session has finished. They happen when someone is walking home replaying the conversation in their head. They happen when they try something different with their partner or notice an old pattern creeping back. They happen while sitting in a café wondering whether what the therapist said actually makes sense in real life.

We all speak about the importance of homework with clients to extend their therapy journey between sessions. But deep down, we know that the number of clients who complete their homework is smaller than the number who do. So, in my experience, the client’s own reflections and exploration to change are less effectively utilised.

We all know that the consulting room is where therapy begins. Life is where it is tested.

Then how do we make the best of the time outside therapy appointments?

This idea has become something of a personal passion for me, particularly since introducing peer mentors into the service in which I........

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