Am I Required to Get Therapy?

Psychotherapy will be a highly productive journey for individuals with motivation and a desire for change. However, we cannot conclude that it will be productive for those who are distant from therapy and have not experienced it. Any preconceptions we have in our subconscious like touchstones will distance us from the experience and will not provide accurate data to the individual. The most important thing in psychotherapy is the therapeutic alliance established with the therapist, i.e., the ‘first impression’. The harmony that occurs when a client first meets their psychotherapist will lead the individual to experience it and will lead to a correct idea after a few trial sessions. Even if the individual has prejudices about the psychotherapy phenomenon, they will fall

short of reaching a correct conclusion without experiencing the first impression. On the other hand, not every individual is obliged to receive therapy, of course.

In clinical studies conducted on Therapeutic Alliance, Zilcha – Mano (2016) evaluated the results of therapeutic alliance on therapy outcomes and found that a better alliance accompanies better therapy outcomes. It is important for the client and therapist to work together in terms of the alliance perception. In a study covering periods of 30 sessions, improvements were seen when there was a therapeutic alliance, and those with a good alliance thought the process was more efficient and successful. Another scholar, Lewin, has grouped the factors that influence an organism’s choice between two options into two groups when making their choice. These factors are expectations and values. Motivational processes are responsible for initiating and directing individuals’ activities; it is concluded that they provide energy to behaviors, develop task motivation, and direct actions towards specific goals.

Individuals bring their goals, values, experiences, and hopes to interactions while searching for and going through life quests and processes. Therapy, as an objective tool that supports this interaction, is one of the most effective tools that facilitate individuals’ change and awareness. Motivation is the positive trigger that enables individuals to embark on this journey. The nature of these motivational forces that connect and engage the client and therapist, facilitating interaction, passes through the therapeutic alliance, i.e., the ‘first impression’.