You're Feeling Discouraged—And That's Okay

If you're in therapy and feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or tempted to take a break, I want you to hear something important:Feeling stuck doesn't mean you're failing. Feeling emotional doesn't mean therapy isn't working.

Feeling discouraged doesn't mean you should stop.

It means you're human, and you're doing real work.

Across Eckert Centre, our therapists see the same pattern over and over: clients who stay for eight sessions experience clarity, confidence, relief, and real momentum.

Clients who stop early (especially between Sessions 3 and 6) often feel lost, frustrated, or like they're constantly "starting over" each time they eventually try therapy again.

This final week of our Power of 8™series is about helping you stay the course. Consider this your motivation plan, survival kit, and roadmap for getting through the hardest part of therapy.

The Problem: Your Brain Resists Right Before Breakthrough

Here's something every person in therapy deserves to know upfront: your brain resists change before it accepts it.

This is true even when the change is exactly what you want.That resistance shows up as: emotional exhaustion, doubt, feeling "stuck," increased anxiety, feeling more aware (and uncomfortable), wanting to cancel, or feeling overwhelmed between sessions.

This resistance is not a problem, it's a predictable stage of the process. Your old coping strategies of avoidance, people-pleasing, perfectionism, overthinking, emotional shutdown are loosening their grip. And your brain is panicking: "Wait, this is unfamiliar. I don't know what to do without these."That discomfort is the turning point. It's exactly why we recommend eight sessions. Not because eight is magical, but because you need enough time to get through the storm and land somewhere calmer.

The 6 Most Common Reasons You Might Lose Motivation

These come up constantly in the therapy room:

1. Feeling worse before feeling better. Your system is waking up. Emotional awareness increases before relief does.
2. Not seeing progress fast enough. Progress happens internally before you feel it outwardly. Change is often invisible until suddenly it's not.
3. Feeling ashamed for still struggling. Healing isn't a performance. It's a relationship with yourself that unfolds at its own pace.Old coping strategies slipping away. This creates temporary instability, which is a sign of growth, not failure.
4. Fear of being vulnerable. Your attachment system is activating in therapy. This is normal and healthy, and it can feel unsettling.
5. Avoidance kicking in. When you get close to a breakthrough, your brain often says, "Let's quit." It's trying to protect you from the unknown.
6. Recognizing these patterns helps reduce the shame and confusion that can derail your progress.

The Plan: Your Power of 8™ Survival Skills

These are the core practices we teach at Eckert Centre. Each one supports your nervous system, builds motivation, and helps you successfully complete your first eight sessions.

Daily Grounding (2–5 minutes): Bilateral tapping, 4-2-6 breathing, cold water on your hands, or looking around the room and naming five objects. This interrupts spirals, reduces overwhelm, and helps your brain integrate what you're learning.

The "One Insight Rule": After every session, identify one thing: one insight, one skill, one shift, one thing to try. Clients who do this see progress faster because they're training their minds to notice change.

Micro-Momentum: Try one small action each week: two minutes of breathing, one boundary, one moment of self-kindness, one pause before reacting. Small changes add up fast and prevent discouragement.

Pre-Book Sessions: This is the foundation of the Power of 8™ model. When sessions are pre-booked, you reduce avoidance, maintain momentum, and don't have to decide each week whether to come. The decision is already made.

What to Do When You Want to Quit

Use this four-step script:

Name the feeling. "I feel discouraged / overwhelmed / tired / stuck.

Normalize it." This is part of the process. Almost everyone feels this around Session 5 or 6.

Decide to talk about it. "I'll bring this to my next session." Discussing doubts and frustration IS therapy.Remind yourself what's coming.

I haven't reached Session 8 yet. I haven't seen the full benefit."This simple process transforms "I want to quit" into "I'm having a hard week and I'm going to keep going anyway."

The Power of 8™ Roadmap

Sessions 1–3: Getting to know your story and goals. You might feel exposed or uncertain.

That's normal.Sessions 4–6: Emotional activation + resistance + growth. This is where most people doubt themselves. It's also where the deepest work happens.

Sessions 7–8: Breakthrough, clarity, regulation, and hope. This is where long-term change begins. The storm passes.Knowing where you are on the map helps you trust the journey, even when the terrain is rough.

The #1 Reason to Finish the Power of 8™

Because the story of your life deserves more than your fear or shame deciding when you stop healing.You deserve clarity, confidence, courage, direction, safety, emotional stability, and hope. Those don't come from three sessions. They come from eight. They come from staying when it's hard, from trusting the process even when you can't see the other side.

You're Capable. You're Exactly Where You Should Be.

If you're in the middle of therapy: you are building a relationship with yourself, and that takes time. Give yourself the gift of finishing your eight sessions.

Your future self—the one who finally understands their patterns, who has tools that actually work, who feels more like themselves than they have in years—will thank you.

Ready to begin or ready to recommit? Book your free consultation today.

About the Authors

Michael Szabo, MACP., Registered Provisional Psychologist

Michael works with adults, teens, and families on the neurodiversity spectrum. From Autism to ADHD to trauma, Michael's goal is to help build an appreciation for your individual brain style and worth. His approach centers on creating a space where you can explore your experiences with curiosity and compassion.

Kimberly Eckert, Sc., R.Psych.Founder & Executive Director, Eckert Psychology & Education Centre.

Kimberly is a Registered Psychologist who has led a multidisciplinary team in Calgary for more than 30 years, providing counselling, assessments, and neurodiversity-affirming learning supports. Although she is no longer in the therapist chair, she oversees clinical excellence across all programs and continues to shape the clinic's integrative approach to individual and family well-being.People Also AskWhen Should I Increase Frequency or Extend Therapy? Sometimes you can benefit from extra grounding and additional support if you are experiencing: High anxiety, trauma activation, relationship transitions, grief work, nervous system dysregulation, parenting stress, or neurodiversity challenges. Weekly or twice-weekly helps stabilize the system. Once regulated, you can transition to biweekly or monthly.More ResourcesAdult CounsellingTeen CounsellingAnxiety CounsellingCrisis ResourcesHow Long Does Therapy Take?Family TherapyFree 15-Minute Consultation

People Also Ask
When Should I Increase Frequency or Extend Therapy? Sometimes you can benefit from extra grounding and additional support if you are experiencing: High anxiety, trauma activation, relationship transitions, grief work, nervous system dysregulation, parenting stress, or neurodiversity challenges. Weekly or twice-weekly helps stabilize the system. Once regulated, you can transition to biweekly or monthly.

More Resources
Adult Counselling
Teen Counselling
Anxiety Counselling
Crisis Resources
How Long Does Therapy Take?
Family Therapy
Free 15-Minute Consultation