What does good therapy look like?

I’ve been fortunate enough to work in several settings one might not associate with traditional therapy, like hospitals and family doctors’ offices. I developed a niche for being “therapy on wheels.” Every so often, I met with someone who already had a therapist. At first, I was happy to accept that they were already receiving care, and I didn’t ask many follow-up questions. However, as time passed, I noticed that many of those patients were still frequently demonstrating signs of being overwhelmed. I developed a series of questions to help me determine if they are getting the support they need. The first question was “Do you feel like you were pushed after your session ends, or does it feel like you just had coffee with a friend?” After I asked the follow-up questions, I learned that an unfortunate number of individuals viewed their therapy sessions like an hour-long venting session. Worse, many therapists reportedly spent a considerable amount of session time updating patients on their lives. In my opinion, this is bad therapy. So, to answer the question, what does good therapy look like?, I say it looks like being challenged. Good therapy should feel like going to the gym, not the spa. There should be clear goals that you and your therapist have agreed upon, and there should be an ongoing discussion regarding the progress of those goals.