Of course, many of you would say that I am biased to answer this question, but I am going to try to be as objective as I can and express my opinion based on my observations and experience. So, is therapy for everyone? The answer is yes and no. Let’s explore first, why someone might not find therapy helpful for their mental health or difficult life situations.
1. Their expectations are too high
Some individuals come to therapy with an expectation that it will change their whole life forever. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. If you follow me on social media, you already know, that I always say: you must want to change in order for a change to happen. As well as, you must be willing to do the work. This work is often not pleasant but it is necessary for my clients to see results. Most of that work is homework, something that they have to do outside our sessions. Not everyone is willing to do that.
2. They are not ready for deep work
Like I have already said, healing requires work. Not every session needs to involve deep explorations of someone’s being. But some do. Many of my clients cry in sessions. Although this can be beneficial, it can also be too early.
For example, someone has just experienced a traumatic event and is not ready to even talk about it, needless to say, to explore what thoughts and feelings are hiding behind their pain. Finding a therapist who pays attention and is sensitive to their clients’ needs at the moment is crucial.
3. They haven’t found the right therapist
Many people think therapy is not for them because they haven’t found the right therapist yet. It can be challenging and I recommend not getting discouraged. Keep looking. I also understand that it can be time-consuming and overall frustrating. Here I have collected a few tips for finding the right therapist.
4. Traditional mental health therapy doesn’t work for them
Many individuals share that traditional therapy, for example, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) simply doesn’t work for them. Unfortunately, there is not as much information about other methods yet as there is about CBT. It doesn’t mean, they don’t exist.
In my practice, I fell in love with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. It seems to work wonders for trauma.
It may be a good idea to try to find a therapist who has interest and experience in different methods and techniques and is willing to experiment with clients in order to find what works for them.
5. Other self-care strategies help them more
I am a big fan of fitness. If you have been following me on my social media platforms, you already know that I promote fitness and a healthy lifestyle in general for mental health. It mainly works as prevention, but can also have a therapeutic effect on such conditions as anxiety and depression. Many people say exercise helps them cope with stress and relieve tension. I know individuals who found that exercise and meditation healed their anxiety, and that’s great.
Therapy is for folks who can’t find relief elsewhere. I do exercise but I also talk to my therapist on a regular basis. A healthy lifestyle doesn’t automatically resolve all my problems. If it does that for you, that’s great!
Now, how to know that therapy is for you? There is no better way to find out than to simply try it.
If you are struggling with finding relief for your anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions; if you have experienced trauma; or going through a very hard time in your life that you can’t cope with – most likely, therapy is for you. I also always say that therapy is not for everyone but if you care about yourself, it IS for you. Try it and see it for yourself!
~ Love, Tren
To schedule an appointment at Married To Navy Counseling Services click here. And don’t forget to follow us on social media.;)
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