From the Blog

How to Know if Therapy Is Actually Working

June 25, 2025

Many people ask themselves if their therapy sessions are making a difference. Research reveals something interesting – your relationship with your therapist plays a crucial role in getting better results and so does the length of time in therapy. Therapy is a unique healthcare relationship, where you work together to meet your goals. This means that each person can contribute to the outcome and the best results are when both you and your therapist work together to adjust treatment so it’s the best fit for you.

The success of therapy doesn’t always show up right away – and many people think that improvement in therapy will happen very quickly. Your chances of improvement increase significantly when therapists check in with you regularly and you’re able to be honest with them about what’s going on so they can tailor your treatment to you over time.

In this article, you’ll learn about different signs that indicate therapy is actually working – from how much you get involved to real changes in your daily routine. Sometimes therapy might not feel like it’s progressing rapidly, and that’s okay. Finding what works best often takes some trial and adjustment.

Ask Yourself: Am I Really Engaged in Therapy?

A direct way to start is to check your own involvement level before considering your therapist’s methods and helpfulness. Taking an active part in therapy builds stronger bonds with therapists. Clients who are more active (such as by trying suggested activities between sessions, reporting their feedback directly, and providing updates about what is working and isn’t), stay in treatment longer, and feel more satisfied with both the process and the results. Your activities affect how well therapy works.

Are you being honest in sessions?

Truthfulness is the foundation of good therapy. Being truthful with your therapist might feel uncomfortable but creates a safe space where real healing starts. Your authentic sharing helps therapists find the mechanisms of your problems and create the right treatment plans.

Some clients hold back information because they’re afraid of being judged or want to shield others from painful feedback. But therapy only works when your therapist sees the whole picture. Therapists keep everything confidential and know how to help without passing judgment. Most therapists welcome feedback about how therapy itself is going and they have special training on how to accept and apply that information in the service of helping people to achieve their health goals.

Being honest also helps you understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors better. You build self-awareness that guides real change when you face difficult truths and navigate them in the therapy setting.

Do you attend consistently?

Regular therapy attendance is vital to progress. Studies show that poor or inconsistent attendance relates directly to worse treatment results. Regular sessions build momentum toward healing and let therapists track your progress well. Each session builds on previous ones to create a continuous healing process. Missed appointments break this flow and can slow down your progress.

The same is true for discontinuing therapy too early or as soon as you feel short-term relief. The goal of therapy is to help you gain skills to use for the rest of your life and it often takes longer than people initially anticipate to achieve that big goal. By sticking with therapy for the full course, odds of lasting symptom relief increase. Most people who complete all sessions also report increased satisfaction with their healthcare and the outcomes.

Are you making the most of skill building opportunities??

Think about whether you use the recommendations between sessions. Do you practice new skills? Do you try suggested behavior changes? Good outcomes in therapy includes using what you learn outside sessions in your real life.

Your feedback about what helps and what doesn’t lets your therapist adjust their methods to serve you better and they often can’t tell what to change without your direct input.

Tracking Progress Toward Your Goals to Determine if Therapy is Working

Goals act as your compass during your therapy trip. A clear goal framework lets you track your progress with real numbers.

Short-term vs. long-term goals

Therapy often has both short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals target quick wins like better sleep or improved mood. Long-term goals focus on bigger or more complex needs such as developing and maintaining stronger self confidence or navigating work relationships skillfully

Small victories create momentum toward bigger achievements. Setting specific goals has been shown to boost your success rate. For example, setting a goal to “practice deep breathing for five minutes daily this week” works better than just saying “reduce anxiety.”

Using check-ins to measure success

Check-ins show your therapy progress with solid evidence. These evaluations help you spot what works and what needs changes. Some ways to track progress include:

Journaling: Tracks your thoughts, wins, and hurdles between sessions
Standardized assessments: Shows symptom changes over time and your therapist may ask you to update these every 2-4 weeks
Using an app to track mood or symptoms over time

A routine schedule to track progress can help your treatment work better because it increases opportunities to make adjustments. You might need different tracking frequencies based on your needs, but checking every 4-6 sessions gives you a full picture of how well the treatment works.

Adjusting goals as therapy evolves

Therapy rarely follows a straight path, and your goals may change as you grow. You might find new priorities or need to change existing goals. Regular reviews with your therapist help you decide which goals still matter and what needs updates.

Celebrating your wins—big or small—builds motivation and shows progress. These celebrations prove that good therapy isn’t just about reaching the finish line but enjoying growth along the way.

Signs of Successful Therapy in Daily Life

Your everyday experiences show the true signs of successful therapy in progress. Small changes in how you handle daily challenges often communicates about your progress. These changes typically show up in three main areas.

Improved mood and emotional regulation

Successful therapy helps you to make changes in the way you handle emotions. Often people will notice they are able to identify their feelings more precisely instead of just feeling generally upset or down. A common feature of effective therapy is also focused on helping you to tolerate difficult emotions when they show up without rushing to react to them.

This emotional growth is visible in practical ways. You might catch yourself taking deep breaths in stressful situations rather than snapping at others. Daily mindfulness practice becomes more routine and natural, and you’ll see benefits with just 5-10 minutes of practice.

The benefits go far beyond quick fixes. People who learn emotional regulation skills report less anxiety, better moods, and improved sleep. Successful therapy helps you enjoy the present moment more often instead of worrying about past regrets or future fears.

Better decision-making and problem-solving

Your decision-making process may change as therapy progresses. Many people find they make important choices with more clarity and confidence as time goes on.

Therapy teaches you to recognize and handle emotions that can cloud your judgment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps you examine negative thoughts that get in the way of good decisions. This helps when tough choices come up.

Therapy can also help with practicing embracing that decisions don’t need perfect outcomes. Life comes with uncertainty, and you’ll make thoughtful choices based on your values while accepting this truth.

Healthier boundaries and communication

Your relationships often show the clearest signs of therapy’s success. Often, people will find they can communicate more openly and honestly with others. Many people find they are more able to stand up for their needs without feeling guilty, while also maintaining respect for others.

Healthy boundaries become part of taking care of yourself. You learn to say no, share your feelings honestly, and tackle problems head-on. These boundaries aren’t walls – they create space for safer, deeper connections.

Your growth becomes clear as you handle conflicts more effectively and build meaningful relationships. The quality of your connections often proves that therapy works.

When Therapy Isn’t Working: What Now?

Therapy doesn’t always give you the results you hope for. Your progress might slow down after weeks or months. Let’s look at what might be happening and what you can do about it.

Common reasons therapy stalls

Several factors can cause therapy to hit a plateau. The relationship between you and your therapist – called therapeutic alliance – often is a contributor to stalled progress. Research demonstrates that the quality of this relationship strongly affects your treatment outcomes.

Your goals might not match the treatment approach. You might want practical solutions while your therapist focuses on your childhood experiences. This mismatch can make you feel frustrated about your therapy’s direction.

Life gets in the way sometimes too. Big life changes, missed sessions, or outside stress can slow down your progress temporarily.

How to assess therapist fit

Trust your gut when you evaluate your relationship with your therapist. Ask yourself if you feel safe being honest. Think about whether your therapist listens carefully your concerns. These feelings matter a lot. Watch out for these warning signs:

You feel misunderstood or judged at most sessions (not just occasionally)
Appointments leave you feeling worse without any improvement after several visits
Your therapist crosses boundaries or acts unprofessionally
Your therapist seems unfocused or keeps forgetting important things

Discomfort isn’t always bad in therapy. Good therapy includes tough conversations. The difference matters: helpful discomfort helps you grow and the reason for it is generally clear and openly discussed.

Steps to take before making a change

Take these actions before you switch therapists:

Talk about your concerns openly. Most therapists want your feedback and can meaningfully change how they work with you. You could say, “I don’t feel we’re moving toward my goals. Can we talk about trying different approaches?”
Make sure your expectations are clear. The issue might be that you and your therapist see the timeline or outcomes differently.
Ask for a proper progress review. These evaluations show how much you’ve improved and what still needs work.
Book a session with another therapist to get a fresh viewpoint. You don’t have to switch – this just helps you understand if your current therapy works well.

Success in Therapy Isn’t Perfection—It’s a Process

People experience therapy differently, but certain signs show how well it’s working, whatever challenges you face. Your active participation builds the foundation of success. Being honest with your therapist, showing up consistently, and staying open to feedback will substantially affect your results.

Success in therapy rarely moves in a straight line. You’ll often notice it through small changes in your daily life over time. Every small win counts. You might handle your emotions better, make clearer decisions, or build stronger relationships. These changes may come slowly, but together they show real growth.

Setting clear goals helps measure how well therapy is working. Therapy can lose direction without specific objectives. Working with your therapist to set both immediate and future goals gives you clear ways to track your progress.

What can you do when therapy doesn’t seem to work? Talk to your therapist about your concerns. Most therapists welcome honest feedback and can adapt their methods. You might need to look at your relationship with your therapist to spot any issues. Sometimes you’ll do better with a different therapist or approach—this shows self-care, not failure.

Most importantly, good therapy gives you tools you can use outside your sessions. Life will always have its challenges, but therapy strengthens your ability to face them with confidence and self-awareness. This might be the best way to measure success—not having no problems at all, but knowing how to handle them better. Understanding these signs helps you get the support you need for your well-being.