"Is therapy for me?" Reasons why people come to therapy

Are you considering starting therapy for your mental health?  Are you struggling to decide whether therapy is right for you?  If so, continue reading to learn the reasons why people come to therapy.  

Deciding to start therapy is a big decision for anyone to make.  Therapy requires time commitment and a motivation to change.  One thing to note is that therapy can vastly improve your mental health and overall wellbeing.  There is a common misconception that therapy is only for those who have endured severe trauma in their lives or for those who have severe mental health challenges,  However, therapy can also be helpful for people dealing with everyday stress, minus the trauma and severe mental health states.  

Therapy as Support 

If you find yourself struggling with a life transition or a specific change or stressor that is hard to overcome, therapy can be extremely helpful.  Sometimes as we get older, it can become a bit more difficult to overcome certain changes or stressors that we encounter.  Therapy can help you change the way you view a situation and therefore find relief from it.  Therapy can help you learn new coping skills to deal with certain stressors and therefore making you feel empowered and less hopeless or lost. Oftentimes, getting an unbiased opinion about your situation from a Therapist can be very helpful and informative.

Maybe you never needed support in the past but you find yourself struggling now.  That's ok, Therapists are here to help you through those challenges.  Here is a list of other reasons why people come to therapy:

Life transitions (school, job, empty-nest, etc)

Changes

Increased stress

Relationship struggles

Loss (of pets, friendships, etc)

Decision making   

Therapy for Trauma

Yes, therapy is also for those who have experienced trauma in their lives, either in their past or their present. This can include abuse (sexual, emotional, verbal, psychological, physical) or neglect.  Therapists are also trained to help those struggling with adverse mental health (bi-polar, schizophrenia, psychosis, dissociative identity disorder, etc).  Therapists are also trained to help those manage their depression and anxiety.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a variety of reasons to come to therapy.  But your reason does not have to be a BIG reason.  Therapy can help you overcome even “minor” and everyday stressors you might encounter and need a little bit of guidance on.  Also, just because you start therapy does not mean that you will need it forever.  Sure, some people choose to stay longer than others; but oftentimes, just a few sessions with a licensed Therapist can help you with your situation.  To learn more about the benefits of therapy and if therapy can be helpful to you, feel free to contact me for a free 15-minute consultation.  I’d be happy to help!