Why You Should Go To Therapy

Thinking of starting therapy but unsure of how it works or if it will help? This is a common question many people have. Starting therapy can feel nerve-wracking and be anxiety provoking, but welcoming that discomfort could be the best thing you could ever do for yourself. Here’s why:

Support + Challenge

Why go to a therapist when you can go to a family member or friend to discuss the problems you are experiencing? — A very common question many people ask. As a therapist, one of my most important jobs is to be there as an emotional support through an unbiased and fresh perspective. This emotional support is not just a ‘shoulder to cry on’. It is actually much deeper than that. Therapists provide encouragement, trust, validation, and a unique set of skills and recommendations that could aid you in your healing process. However, receiving support is not the only way to learn and grow in therapy. Therapists also challenge you in ways friends and family would not, such as having you view an issue through a different lens or challenging you to try something new.

Coping

Coping skills are essential when learning how to cope and manage life stressors and experiences. Therapists can provide you with coping skills and other techniques that are proven to help and work with certain mental health struggles. By learning and practicing coping skills in and outside of session you will see how those stressors become more tolerable and can even be minimized.

Strengthen Relationships

Many individuals who seek counseling are dealing with relationship struggles. Through either individual or couples counseling, clients can learn how to regulate their own emotions regarding issues in their relationships and how to effectively communicate with their partner, family member, friend, etc. Sometimes a therapist can help clients view issues through a different perspective to help them understand what the root issues are in the relationship and how to tackle it individually and with that other person.

Learning About Yourself

Overall, therapy is a great place to learn about who you are, who you were in the past, and who you want to be in the future. Learning about yourself in ways you never imagined such as behavioral patterns, what type of boundaries you have or don’t have, how life experiences you have had thus far have impacted and shaped the person you are today, and most importantly how to manage it all can be life changing.