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Someone To Talk To When You Need It: 9 Reasons For Therapy

Have you ever had a friend who was an excellent listener? You may have memories of sitting on their back deck drinking coffee and spilling your thoughts to them. Sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is really listening.  

Having those soul-bearing conversations with your loved ones is invaluable, but sometimes you need more. As you discuss life’s big questions and the wounds of your past, you may realize you need to speak to a healthcare professional with training to help you healthily process these things. That’s where therapy comes in. 

Let’s look at what therapy is and the reasons to consider talking to a therapist

What Is Therapy?

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a fancy word for various treatment techniques that could help you identify and address thoughts, emotions, and events that concern you. Ultimately, it’s a safe place to talk to a trained professional about your life and learn tools and new perspectives to improve your mental health. 

Signs You Might Benefit from Therapy

In truth, therapy can benefit just about anybody because we all have areas to address and improve on in our lives. 

Here are a few signs that a therapeutic journey may be an excellent next step for you.

Waters Have Been Choppy

We all have seasons when the waters are still, and life is smooth sailing. Lately, you may have been feeling things that aren’t so mild. Perhaps your job is in danger at work, or you’ve been struggling through personal issues with your spouse. As you encounter these challenges, you don’t have to face them alone. A therapist may help you untangle some of your thoughts and learn tools to manage these rough waters. 

Trouble Sleeping

It’s tough to admit when we’re not doing well. If you are having a hard time falling asleep or can’t stay asleep throughout the night, this may signify something deeper is occuring. Consider speaking to a therapist about these physical signs. 

You’ve Noticed You’re On Edge

When minor stressors begin to get under your skin, it may be time to pause and ask yourself some questions. What are the underlying stressors that are bothering you? Are there any emotional events you’ve been avoiding thinking about recently? Therapy can give you the ideal context to discuss these matters without judgment.

Your World is Upside Down

We all have moments that shake our worlds and turn everything on its head. Sometimes, unexpected life events can leave your mind reeling in the aftermath. If you’ve gone through something painful, unanticipated, or scary lately, you don’t have to process it in isolation. Talking to a skilled therapist about these circumstances can help you walk through your emotions and adjust healthily. 

You Just Need to Process

Sometimes life can happen a million miles a minute, with no stopping in sight. This can get overwhelming and can become hard for people to manage on their own. Talking with a therapist is an excellent way to ensure you’re processing your emotions well no matter what happens on any given day. 

You Want to Address Old Wounds

Some hurtful events and memories stick with us for a long time. Over the course of your life, these memories may have morphed into things that filter the way you view your decisions, current life events, and emotions. Digging into the past with a therapist is a brave step to take, as it may help you move forward and heal as time goes on.

If you have hang-ups from your past that don’t feel healed, consider visiting a professional therapist. Together, you can talk about what you experienced in a gentle, safe environment. 

Therapy: The Perfect Place to Unload

Whether you’re addressing hurtful memories, processing recent life changes, or just trying to develop a healthier perspective, therapy can be a life-changing encounter. Let’s look at some of the reasons to give it a try. 

1. Your Therapist Can Develop a Personalized Treatment Plan

When you enter into a therapeutic relationship, you will both talk about your unique mental health needs. Your therapist may have a theoretical orientation, meaning they prefer to use a distinct approach with their therapy. Still, they will be objective and nonjudgmental in developing a treatment plan for your one-of-a-kind mental health journey. 

2. Therapists are Trained to Listen Well

When you share your thoughts with a friend, you may find that they switch the conversation to their own lives or try to insert advice based on their subjective experience. While your friend may have good intentions, sometimes you need someone unbiased and neutral when discussing your life.

Your therapist is someone with extensive training in listening with an unbiased approach. They’re able to utilize scientific research to help you navigate your emotions and shift unhealthy patterns. They won’t give you advice, but they’ll provide you with something better: tools to manage your life and feelings every day. 

3. Therapy Can Help You Externally Process

Do you ever feel like you get stuck inside your head? You might lie awake at night overthinking moments from the week. Perhaps you’re in a conflict with a friend, and you’ve been circling the matter in your mind trying to reach a solution. Maybe someone shared an opinion with you that has you stumped about what you believe. Speaking with a therapist is a terrific way to get out of your head and externally process your thoughts. 

4. Going to Therapy is an Investment in Yourself

By now, you’ve likely heard the term “self-care,” but what does it mean? You may have seen social media posts that link self-care with extravagant vacations, pedicures, facials, and dinners at expensive restaurants. There’s nothing wrong with picturesque holidays to help refresh your body and mind if you can afford it. 

What if we told you self-care is about more than that? Going to therapy is one of the best ways to invest in yourself for short-term processing and long-term growth. You don’t have to go to the Bahamas to manifest self-care; booking your first appointment with a therapist is a terrific way to show up for yourself every day.

5. You Can Learn Tools That Help You Process Life

Every professional therapist has a therapeutic approach that they find to be most helpful to their clients. Each approach is rooted in scientific research, so you can be confident that the guidance your therapist gives you is trustworthy. 

If your therapist uses a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach, they may help you start to realize when your thinking has become distorted from your reality. Or they may use a Behavioral approach to help you see what aspects of your environment contribute to negative thoughts and patterns.

Each of these approaches exists to help you identify the ways your life and thought patterns could change for the better. 

6. Therapy Can Help You Get To Know Yourself

Maybe a loved one has raved about their own experiences with therapy. Over time, perhaps you’ve grown curious about how visiting a skilled professional therapist might help you enhance your mental health. Even if you don’t have a specific reason to go to therapy, it’s an encounter that can benefit you. As you talk about your life, challenges, and perspectives with your therapist, you may discover things about yourself you didn’t realize before.

7. It May Help You Treat Others With More Compassion

As you walk through your therapeutic journey, your counselor can help you learn how to gain self-compassion and acceptance. You may notice that giving yourself grace comes more naturally. When approaching others’ struggles, you’ll be able to treat them with compassion. 

8. Your Therapist Can Help You Reframe Thinking Patterns

Think back to your most recent conflict with a loved one. Maybe you had an argument with your biological parents about your life choices and their expectations for you. After you walk away from that conflict, what you think about the situation matters.

It’s easy to get stuck in negative thought patterns. After that talk, you might feel tempted to sacrifice your boundaries for the sake of keeping the peace. You might start to believe negative things about yourself that aren’t true.

Talking with your therapist is a great way to untangle this event and help you to recognize negative thought patterns. 

9. Your Therapeutic Relationship Is a Safe Space

Your therapist has seen it all. You don’t have to worry about the way they might receive your unfiltered thoughts. They’re listening with positive regard, so you can process your thoughts in an environment that’s neutral and free from judgment. 

So go ahead and share the secret you thought that you couldn’t. Let them know the fears that feel too big to say out loud to anyone else. You’re safe to approach your therapeutic relationship with honesty, knowing your therapist only wants the best for you. 

Let’s Talk Traditional Therapy

Now that we’ve learned why therapy might benefit you, let’s discuss how to start seeing a therapist. Traditionally, this can be a challenging process. You may have to search multiple pages before you find a qualified mental health provider near you. Then, they may charge as high as $150 per session to see you. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this challenging.

How Mood Health Makes Therapy Manageable for You 

At Mood Health, we experienced the most inconvenient parts of traditional mental health care. From scheduling to payment, it can be a hassle. We want you to have a better experience than we had, so we created Mood Health.

Allow us to introduce ourselves. Here are the top ways we’re working to help you access stress-free mental health care:

  • We provide a range of services to fit your needs. We know you have unique needs. Whether you’re seeking talk therapy to deal with recent stress or looking for medication to promote well-being, we’ve got you covered. 

  • We make getting started easier than ever. At Mood Health, you can begin your mental health care journey today. We have same-week availability, so you can book an appointment today and look forward to meeting your care provider in just a few days. 

  • We provide you with licensed providers who care: We know how crucial it is for you to meet with a mental health professional who is qualified to treat you. At Mood Health, all therapists and psychiatric care providers are licensed and trained to help address your needs.  

  • We minimize costs to get you feeling better sooner: Paying hundreds of dollars to see a therapist can be intimidating, especially on top of mental health struggles. We know how vital it is to be able to access affordable care. That’s why you can begin your Mood Health treatment at just $45 for your first month. 

Therapy Has Your Back

There are so many reasons to consider seeing a therapist or psychiatric provider. If it’s your first time to give therapy a try, we think you’ll love how easy it is to set up your first appointment with Mood. Take the step to invest in your mental health. Talking to a skilled licensed therapist about your thoughts, feelings, and history could improve your life more than you thought.

 

Sources:

NIMH » Psychotherapies | NIMH

Understanding psychotherapy and how it works | APA

Counseling Theories and Approaches | William And Mary School of Education

Finding a Therapist Who Can Help You Heal | Help Guide