Barriers to Executive Psychotherapy

There are many things you can unknowingly do to block your own therapeutic progress. Unintentional barriers to executive psychotherapy are surprisingly common. Perhaps they are so common as to be normal. Here are a few of the barriers to executive psychotherapy along with some suggested remedies.

Barriers to Executive Psychotherapy:

1. Not focusing on the core problem

Normally by the time a leader presents for executive psychotherapy the knock-on implications of the original problem have impacted so many areas of life that it is nearly impossible for the client to separate the major from minor, causes from effects, relevant from irrelevant.

A skilled psychotherapist helps by placing a structure on the discussion. That gives clarity and understanding. An extremely skilled psychotherapist will get the executive to put structure on the discussion.

If you have a problem that may require psychotherapy, you may be able to solve the problem if you can think about it in a structured way.

Even if structured thought about the problem doesn’t completely solve it,  having done so before you come for psychotherapy will normally shorten the time required to solve the problem.

Barriers to Executive Psychotherapy:

2. Embarrassment and guilt

Often highly capable people feel a sense of guilt about coming for executive psychotherapy. That can make it difficult to talk openly about the problem.

This may help. Before you come along for therapy, stand in front of a mirror and talk through the problem, as you would like to share it with your therapist.

In the past when I have recommended this approach, by telephone it has resulted in one of two outcomes: the guilt passes and focus on solving the problem becomes stronger; talking through the problem in the mirror leads to a solution, and no therapy is required.

Barriers to Executive Psychotherapy:

3.  Avoidance of change

We all do it; we resist or avoid changes that seem uncomfortable. Some people will go to great lengths to avoid changing the way they think. They will seek, with great vigour, to prove there is no need to change. Most will spend more time and effort ‘proving’ they don’t need to change than they would have needed to effect the beneficial change.

You have almost certainly seen that in others. It is a well documented phenomenon.  Leading social scientists of all kinds have observed it: “Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.” J. K. Galbraith

Executive psychotherapy is often about finding the subtle, small change or changes that will have a hugely positive impact.  Here is a suggestion to help. Focus on how much better life will be after you have solved the problem. That alone may help raise your motivation to solve the problem, and may remove the need for psychotherapy.

Barriers to Executive Psychotherapy:

4.  Undisclosed maintenance factors

One of the aspects that can prolong a problem is lack of awareness of factors which maintain that problem. You simply may not know that some other aspect of your life is perpetuating the problem, or how. Of course, if you are not aware of it, you can’t share it with your therapist.

Suggestion: before you attend for therapy, think about the factors that could be perpetuating your problem. If you do this, identify and remove them, you may no longer need to have therapy.

Barriers to Executive Psychotherapy:

5. Leaving and re-entering therapy

Any competent psychotherapist will remind you that you have a right to terminate psychotherapy as and when you decide, and ideally  when you feel it is right for you to do so. You should also expect the right to resume at a later stage if you wish.

There are many very sensible reasons for starting and stopping and or re-starting. For instance, for you the ideal time to stop maybe after reaching an understanding of the problem. You may then take some time to process that new understanding and then come back to therapy at a later stage.

In the interim you may have re-defined the problem and now wish to seek a solution with the help of psychotherapy. You may have done both, re-defined and found a solution, and go on to seek some help with planning and implementation. Or you may have totally solved the problem and return to get help with acquiring the skills you need to ensure it never happens again.

Summary

The list of barriers to executive psychotherapy could fill several volumes. Some are explored above and others I covered in ‘Counselling for Managers.’

I have listed the more common barriers and suggested some remedies. You, as an experienced executive, don’t need several volumes to tell you about the ways each of us can stand in the way of our own progress. As a leader, much of your time is invested in helping staff to remove their own barriers. If you can identify and remove your own, your psychotherapy will be more rapidly effective. Note of caution: if you cannot spot and remove your barriers, go for therapy as soon as possible. The longer you leave it, the more ingrained the problem becomes and the longer it takes to solve.

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