It took years for me to develop a partial trust in my first T. They were more into counseling rather than therapy, however, and not a trauma T. I have been seeing the new T for just under a year now. This one does therapy and their style is very different from my first T. I would say I did a lot of healing with the first T that has prepared me for developing trust faster with the second T. Plus, the second T has proven that even when something triggers me that neither of us expected, they will help me deal with it. So I know that whatever happens will be ok. For that reason, even though it is less than a year, I have already been able to share bits of my past. That has surprised me. I think it helps that T does not push me. Everything that I share is up to me. No invasive questions for details, no pushing for more information. Having it on my terms helps. But I don't think I would be at this level of trust with the current T without the work with the first T. I will say the first T made some pretty serious mistakes regarding my trauma that very much retraumatized me and left me having to try to stuff the memories again because they did not understand how to deal with them. Now, I feel like I am on the road to recovery. It is not fun. It is winding, and sometimes it seems like it backtracks a lot, but when I look at my journal entries from a few months ago, I realize I am still making progress. I don't think you can force trust. It has to be something that develops or not. I would say to give it time, and don't force yourself to share before you are ready.
What is the difference between counseling and therapy?
Counseling is more of dealing with current stressors rather than addressing any past issues or patterns of behavior as is done in therapy. Counseling appointments tend to be check-ins and may occur less frequently.
