The Art of Showing Up: What Makes a Good Therapist
by Brooks Strawn, LCSW | Psych Collective
Brooks Strawn, LMSW
If you’ve ever wondered what makes a good therapist—
it’s not about having all the right answers.
It’s about being real,
staying present,
and showing up with both honesty and heart.
A good therapist creates safety—not by removing discomfort,
but by helping you feel seen, understood, and capable inside it.
They keep it real.
They hold you accountable,
and they engage with you genuinely—
not from a distance, but alongside you.
They laugh with you.
They cry with you.
They help you clarify what you need,
and they validate what’s valid (yes, it needs emphasis).
A good therapist empowers you to believe
in your own capacity for change.
They don’t work for you;
they work with you—
collaboratively, curiously,
and with deep respect for your unique experience.
They check in.
They follow up.
They help you build sustainable skills—
not just moments of insight,
but lasting tools for everyday life.
They encourage bravery,
consistently grow in competence,
and bring new resources and perspectives
to expand your understanding of yourself and the world.
A good therapist holds belief when you can’t.
They carry patience for your non-linear process.
They ask hard questions,
lean into friction,
and trust that growth often starts
in the places that feel most uncomfortable.
Above all, they care deeply—
not just about progress,
but about you as a whole person.
Because therapy isn’t about fixing people.
It’s about walking with them—
through change,
through pain,
through meaning,
until they can see themselves more clearly on the other side.
A Closing Reflection
A good therapist isn’t afraid of the hard parts,
because they know what lives on the other side of them:
resilience, courage, and renewal.
They believe you are capable of change,
even when you don’t.
And they’ll hold that belief for you—
until you can hold it yourself.
—
Brooks Strawn, LCSW
Psych Collective | Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
