When To Seek Therapy
Sometimes
you need to talk to someone, someone who can help... When you feel like
you can't do it alone... When you feel trapped, like there's nowhere to
turn... When you worry all the time, and never seem to find the
answers... When the way you feel is affecting your sleep, your eating
habits, your job, your relationships, your everyday life... When even
the advice offered by family or well-meaning friends doesn't really
help you feel any better.
Recognizing the need for professional
help is a good first step towards improvement. Therapy can be of real
benefit, providing help for a wide range of problems such as
depression, loss, marital strife, parent-child concerns, or emotional
distress. It can also help fulfill aspirations for personal growth or
self-improvement. Therapy has one clear and definite purpose: that
something of positive value and constructive usefulness will come out
of it for you.
Some of the most common reasons for seeking help from therapy include:
Emotional Distress
From
time to time, everyone experiences emotional pain. But sometimes the
distress is particularly severe or long-lasting and interferes with
your ability to function in your daily life. If you are experiencing
sadness, grief, or anxiety that is persistent, therapy can help relieve
the symptoms, address the underlying causes for your distress, and
provide you with help in restoring emotional well-being.
Personal Growth
Therapy
can help you overcome obstacles that have kept you from reaching your
goals and becoming the person you want to be. Although you might not
have a clinical condition or symptoms, therapy can help you learn more
about yourself, as well as others, and how you can live your life with
deeper personal satisfaction.
Relationship Issues
Your
distress may be coming from difficulties in your relationship with a
spouse, parent, child, co-worker or significant other. Therapy can be
valuable in helping you understand the root of the problem and
providing you with the understanding and skills you need to improve the
relationship.
Coping Mechanisms
Sometimes
emotional distress or relationship problems are associated with coping
mechanisms, such as excessive shyness, weak communication, lack of
assertiveness, or poor anger control. Therapy can enable you to acquire
or strengthen skills that can benefit many of the most important areas
of your life.
Loss
Experiencing a break from
someone who is important to you (through death or separation)can result
in great emotional pain. Therapy can be significantly helpful in coping
with the loss.
Trauma, Violence or Abuse
Victims
of trauma, violence or abuse can feel so overwhelmed by feelings of
fear, anger, or helplessness that their ability to function effectively
is significantly impaired. Therapy can help provide a safe,
confidential setting in which to discuss your victimization issues with
a caring, supportive person and find ways to move forward with your
life.
Sexual Problems
While they can be
embarrassing to talk about, sexual dissatisfaction and sexual
dysfunction are very common problems. There are therapists who are
particularly experienced at helping with understanding and overcoming
issues that may be impairing sexual functioning.
Clinical Disorder or Condition
Those
who have certain disorders or conditions can benefit from an overall
treatment plan which includes therapy and another form of treatment,
such as medication. For instance, research shows that individuals with
conditions such as ADHD, eating disorders, major depression or anxiety
disorders benefit significantly more from a combination of therapy and
medication than just medication alone
