Is therapy right for you?

Angela was at her wit’s end. It had been three months of living with her new boyfriend Steve, and their communication had taken a steep downward spiral. She loved Steve, but was struggling to feel connected to hi since moving in together. Angela took on most of the housework, and with her full-time job, was exhausted. At the drop of a hat, Angela would feel triggered with rage – anger at a level she’d never experienced before. Steve, averse to her yelling at him, would clam up, and their conversation would be at an impasse.

Angela had never thought of herself as someone who’d had a hard life. She was a middle-class millennial, who had opportunities for university, and jobs. She was able to travel, she had mostly good health, and she had a loving family. But lately, Angela began to wonder what was below the surface of her life. Where was all this rage coming from? She worried about her relationship with Steve, and she began to research getting help.

According to Mental Health America, in any given year, almost 1 in 5 Americans will have a diagnosable mental health condition. According to the Government of Canada, around 1 in 3 Canadians will be diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in their lives.

Mental health conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD,) general anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, substance-related disorders like alcoholism, eating disorders, and depression. But many people who are not diagnosed with a mental health disorder suffer from life’s confusion and pain as well and need extra help.

Therapy 101

Therapy is one way many people find helpful for treating mental health issues, by talking with a mental health provider like a counselor or psychotherapist. Therapy sessions focus on specific issues about how your behaviors, emotions, thoughts, and environment affect your mood and your physical health. Therapy helps patients to learn how to take control of their lives, and to learn new healthy coping skills to take on life’s challenges.

Therapy is used to treat many mental health issues, like social anxiety, phobias, panic disorder, and PTSD. But a lot of people who don’t have a diagnosable disorder also benefit from therapy. A large portion of the population are not taught as children about emotional health and well-being. So, during adulthood, life can feel unbearable. Many people benefit from simply learning what emotions are, and how to effectively channel them.

Many people seek therapy when a parent dies, or when a romantic relationship has conflicts. Stresses of everyday life often call for additional support. Therapy is frequently used for couples counseling as well, to help get to the bottom of disagreements, and to help couples learn new communication skills.

How does therapy benefit people?

Many times, therapy is as effective as medications like antidepressants. This is because emotions that get stuck in the body make us feel terrible. Getting those emotions out by processing them with a therapist is great for our entire body, and it clears the mind.

Therapy benefits people by helping to relieve anxiety and stress, especially in family and work situations. Oftentimes, therapy is sought during major life changes that cause grief, like divorce, death, or the diagnosis of a major medical condition. Or experiences like starting college, moving to a new town, or starting a new relationship, can lead to needing therapy. Sometimes we have unhealthy reactions, like aggressive behavior, or road rage, that just needs time to get to the root.

People in war-torn countries, high-crime neighbors, and experiencing trauma daily due to poor living conditions, all can lead to conditions that deserve emotional treatment like therapy. People who experience sexual violence and other types of abuse, whether physical or psychological, also could benefit from therapy.

Types of therapy

There are a few main types of therapy. The first and probably most well-known is psychoanalytic therapy. This is the approach founded by well-known psychologist Sigmund Freud. During the therapy sessions, the mental health professional helps the patient see patterns, or significant life events, that may have something to do with the way the patient is behaving and perceiving life. Mental health professionals help to see where childhood and unconscious thoughts and feelings play a role in the problems a patient is hoping to overcome.

Another type of therapy is cognitive-behavioral based. This type of therapy focuses on specific issues. People who suffer from depression or anxiety often find this type of therapy useful, as a cognitive therapist helps patients change thought patterns. Cognitive-behavioral therapists tend to focus on specific problems. These therapists believe that irrational thinking or faulty perceptions cause dysfunction. A cognitive therapist may work with a client to change thought patterns. This type of therapy is often effective for clients suffering from depression or anxiety.

Another common form of therapy is group therapy. This type of therapy is when one or more patients work with a mental health professional. It can be a less expensive way to go about approaching mental health and can be very impactful for certain types of problems. Socializing and feeling seen, and heard, can go a long way in helping people heal from mental health concerns.

Angela has been seeing a counselor now for two months. She’s been floored at the emotions it’s brought up, and the pieces of herself she’s beginning to uncover. Before she began going to therapy, she heard it would get harder before it got better. Currently, things are hard. But she also sees how much she still has to know about herself. Where do these emotions come from?

Steve is seeing Angela beginning to change as well, and he’s been thinking about going to therapy too. Neither of them had the benefit of learning how to cope with adulthood from their parents, and they are beginning to see that it’s not their fault. But they also know: it is their responsibility to get help, so they are not taking their pain out on the world.