Psychologist Shares The Biggest Issue Gifted People Have In Therapy That Will Probably ‘Upset A Lot Of People’
"Did you know that gifted people have unique needs in therapy?"
Ilona Kozhevnikova / Shutterstock A clinical psychologist has shared the reason why some people may have a hard time in therapy compared to others.
In a TikTok video, a content creator and trained psychologist named Dr. Joey revealed the reason why some people struggle to find a therapist that they connect with.
She shared the biggest issue that gifted people have in therapy.
"Did you know that gifted people have unique needs in therapy?" Dr. Joey questioned. "I've worked with a lot of gifted people particularly gifted adults who are also autistic and otherwise neurodivergent."
She prefaced her video by admitting that it may be a difficult conversation that could upset many people, but everything she was saying came from years of experience.
"One of the big issues is finding a therapist that can actually work with the person at a level that they can actually understand their client," she said. "If the client has a greater level of complexity that they kind of required to understand their psychological problems or they've got inner matrices or understanding their own mind, then if they are working with a therapist that doesn't think as complexly it's a very jarring experience."
Dr. Joey explained that gifted people need to find a therapist who is either at the same level of giftedness, one step below, or one step above.
If the therapist is one step below, then they need to be able to have the willingness to try and catch up to their client.
Having a therapist who is one step below doesn't mean 'they can't help the client.' Dr. Joey explained that it would just mean that a therapist would have to work harder to grasp the way their client was framing any issues or problems they needed to speak about.
"You can't really rely on a sort of rudimentary structure of thought," she said. "You have to kind of take into account the fact that there will be a very complex sort of way of conceptualizing problems that if the therapist does not [take] them into account, they can easily dismiss very key aspects of the way the client is expressing their issues."
Photo: Polina Zimmerman / Canva Pro
She pointed out that many times, gifted people in therapy often end up feeling as if they are educating their therapist.
She stressed, "You should be getting something from therapy. You shouldn't be educating your therapist about how they should be doing their job, and I completely understand this is going to come across as arrogant, but at the end of the day, I think each individual should be able to access appropriate mental health care."
For how expensive therapy is in this country, and the lack of accessibility for some people, there is nothing wrong with refusing to settle for a therapist that doesn't fit your needs. Many people have to go through multiple therapists to find the right one, and it is an encouraged practice.
Dr. Joey's insight also challenges therapists to broaden their understanding of the different types of clients that may walk through their door because everyone should be allowed to seek out assistance for their mental health, no matter what.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.