Health

Digging Out of a Therapy Rut

Published

12 months ago

March 6, 2025

Therapy has been a part of Katerina Kelly’s weekly routine since elementary school, when a teacher suggested counseling for the 8-year-old.

At the time, Katerina’s autism was affecting their ability to manage time, make decisions and socialize. And for many years, the therapist seemed helpful. But once college rolled around, things changed.

“I always left counseling feeling either worse than I started — or numb,” said Mx. Kelly, 29, who lives in Natick, Mass, and uses they/them pronouns.

The skills that Mx. Kelly’s therapist had taught her in childhood weren’t translating as well now that she was older. In other words, they had hit a rut — the therapy, and the therapist, were not producing the desired results.

A therapy rut can feel disheartening, but it doesn’t have to end your pursuit of better mental health. We asked psychologists how to identify whether you’ve reached a sticking point and what to do about it.

What exactly is a therapy rut?

If you’ve hit a rut, you may feel as if your therapy sessions have stalled or become unhelpful, said Jameca Woody Cooper, president of the Missouri Psychological Association.

You may be emotionally disconnected from your therapist or less trusting of their plan. Perhaps you’re uncomfortable and tense during therapy, or you’ve started to dread or miss appointments, Dr. Woody Cooper added.

A rut can translate into “increased irritability while you’re in session, or a feeling of being misunderstood,” she said.

There are many reasons a rut can happen, the experts said:

You’ve made as much progress as you can in therapy at this time.
You would benefit from a different therapist or approach.
You need a new therapy goal.
You don’t need sessions as frequently as you did in the past.
Your expectations aren’t aligned with those of your therapist.
You’re not ready to explore past trauma or a difficult issue.

Mx. Kelly had experienced some of these roadblocks in her relationship with her childhood therapist.

“When I did try to bring up new things I was told we could work on it in the ‘next session,’ but that never came to be,” they said. “I hit a point where I started feeling so low.”

So Mx. Kelly began searching for a new therapist — it took more than six months, but they found someone who took their insurance and was a better fit.

If you’re feeling stuck, your therapist will ideally sense it too, said Regine Galanti, a therapist in Long Island who specializes in treating anxiety with exposure therapy.

“When I’m having the same conversations for more than two weeks in a row — that makes my warning bells start to go off,” she said.

That’s when it’s time to re-evaluate a client’s therapy goals, she added.

What can you do about a rut?

Don’t jump the gun by quitting therapy after one or two unproductive sessions, experts said.

“It’s unfortunately not uncommon to occasionally have a therapy session that feels like a dud,” said Alayna Park, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Oregon.

But if after three or four sessions you feel like you haven’t learned any new coping skills or gained a better understanding of your problem, then it’s time to speak up, either during the session or in an email.

Dr. Park suggested a few ways to kick off the discussion: “I feel like my progress has stalled,” or “I would like to transition to learning new or different coping skills,” or simply: “I feel like I’m in a therapy rut.”

It’s also valuable to ask your therapist how many sessions you might need, what your progress ought to look like and how your therapist is measuring it, said Bethany A. Teachman, a professor of psychology and the director of clinical training at the University of Virginia.

Although it can make some people feel uneasy to voice their concerns, the experts said, a good therapist will not get angry or annoyed.

“Good therapy empowers patients” to do hard things, Dr. Teachman said.

How do you know if it’s time to take a break?

If you’ve talked with your therapist about your concerns and nothing has changed, you may want to consider taking a break.

Stepping away can offer “a sense of agency, and time to evaluate if the current therapeutic relationship is the correct one,” Dr. Woody Cooper said.

During this break, you can take time to think about your feelings and behavior, explore different types of therapy or try out another therapist, she added.

Annie Herzig, an author and illustrator who lives in Fort Collins, Colo., decided to take a step back after a few months of seeing a new therapist, when she hadn’t noticed any improvement in her mood.

Ms. Herzig, 43, finally sent her therapist an email saying she wasn’t getting what she needed from their sessions.

Taking time away was helpful — Ms. Herzig found a different therapist who she has now been seeing for four years.

“I feel energized at the end,” Ms. Herzig said of their sessions together. “Even if I cry my eyes out.”

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Health

Common nighttime noise exposure may trigger heart problems, study suggests

Published

59 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Common nighttime noise exposure may trigger heart problems, study suggests

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Living near heavy traffic could negatively impact your heart health.

A European study, published in the journal Environmental Research, found that exposure to nighttime road traffic noise is linked to changes in the blood, leading to worsened cholesterol and cardiovascular risks.

The researchers considered data from the U.K. Biobank, Rotterdam Study, and Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, including more than 272,000 adults over the age of 30, according to a press release.

Nighttime road noise exposure was estimated at all participants’ homes based on national noise maps. Researchers also took blood samples to measure the participants’ metabolic biomarkers for disease, then mapped the link between nightly noise levels and existence of biomarkers.

Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers. (iStock)

The study found that people exposed to louder noise at night — especially sounds above 55 decibels — showed changes in 48 different substances in their blood. Twenty of these associations “remained robust” throughout all cohorts.

Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers, especially LDL “bad” cholesterol, IDL (intermediate-density lipoprotein) and unsaturated fatty acids.

NEARLY 90% OF AMERICANS AT RISK OF SILENT DISEASE — HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW

As noise levels increased, starting at around 50 decibels, cholesterol markers rose steadily, the release stated.

The authors concluded that this study “provides evidence that nighttime road traffic noise exposure from 50 dB upward is associated with alterations in blood cholesterol and lipid profiles in adults.”

Researchers noted a link between traffic noise and cardiometabolic disease. (iStock)

Study co-author Yiyan He, doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu in Finland, noted that in this type of research, small effect sizes are expected, and environmental exposures such as traffic noise are “typically modest.”

SIMPLE NIGHTLY HABIT LINKED TO HEALTHIER BLOOD PRESSURE, STUDY SUGGESTS

“Despite this, we observed statistically robust and consistent associations across many biomarkers, especially those related to LDL and IDL lipoproteins,” she told Fox News Digital.

MISSING SLEEP MAY TAKE A HIDDEN TOLL ON YOUR BRAIN AND LONGEVITY, RESEARCH REVEALS

“We also identified a clear exposure-response pattern starting at around 50 dB, suggesting that metabolic changes become more evident as noise levels increase.”

This aligns with public health guidance, as the World Health Organization recommends lower nighttime noise limits at around 40 to 45 dB, Yiyan He added.

“This finding may clarify the association between traffic noise and cardiometabolic diseases,” the researchers wrote. (iStock)

“The 55 dB level is often used as an interim benchmark associated with substantial noise annoyance and sleep disturbance,” she said. “In our study, we observed associations not only at 55 dB, but also indications of effects emerging at around 50 dB.”

The strength and consistency of the cholesterol-related associations were surprising, as these changes are usually “subtle.”

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“Instead, we found consistent associations across multiple large European cohorts, which strengthens confidence that the findings may reflect real biological patterns,” Yiyan He went on. “We were also interested to see that effects were minimal below ~50 dB, suggesting a possible threshold-like pattern.”

HEART DISEASE THREAT PROJECTED TO CLIMB SHARPLY FOR KEY DEMOGRAPHIC

The researcher noted that these findings were consistent across genders, education levels and obesity status.

The study was restricted to White Europeans, which posed a limitation. There was also a lack of information on the fasting status in the UK Biobank.

Changes in cholesterol levels were more severe than researchers expected. (iStock)

“Fasting can influence levels of certain metabolites, particularly fatty acids,” Yiyan He said. “However, based on UK Biobank documentation, fewer than 10% of participants were fasting for at least eight hours, and our main findings focused on cholesterol-related biomarkers, which are generally less sensitive to short-term fasting.”

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The researchers also lacked information on bedroom location, indoor noise exposure and time spent at home.

“These factors may introduce non-differential exposure misclassification,” Yiyan He said. “Additionally, noise exposure estimates were based on participants’ temporary residential addresses at the time of blood sampling, without considering the duration of residence.”

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“Many of these limitations would tend to bias results toward the null, so the consistent associations we observed remain noteworthy.”

Experts recommend taking measures to limit traffic noise at night. (iStock)

Based on this latest research, Yiyan He noted that nighttime noise is a “health-relevant exposure,” not just “an annoyance.”

“Our findings suggest that nighttime traffic noise may subtly but consistently affect metabolic health,” she said. “While the changes in cholesterol and lipid levels for any one individual are small, traffic noise affects a very large number of people, which means the potential public health impact could be substantial.”

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The researcher recommends taking measures like improving sound insulation, using noise-reducing strategies and placing bedrooms on the quieter side of the home when possible.

“Because sleep is a key pathway linking noise to health, protecting the nighttime sleep environment is especially important,” she added.

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.

Health

The Best Time To Drink Coffee for Weight Loss and a Faster Metabolism

Published

12 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

The Best Time To Drink Coffee for Weight Loss and a Faster Metabolism

The Best Time To Drink Coffee for Weight Loss and Fat Burn | Woman’s World

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