Thinking About Trying Therapy? Here's What It Can Do For You

If you’re thinking about giving therapy a try or looking for a therapist for your child, you might be understandably feeling a bit uncertain or nervous about getting started.  You may have questions about what it might look like, whether you or your child are ready, how to find the right therapist, and more.  Here is some information about therapy that can help you figure out if therapy is right for you or your child and how it might help.

When can therapy help?

• When someone is struggling with mood, anxiety, stress, and other mental health challenges
• When someone is facing a crisis, loss, trauma, or major life transition
• When someone is dealing with interpersonal conflict within their families, friendships, school, jobs, and other relationships
• When someone is struggling with addiction or substance use
• When someone wants to make changes but is uncertain how to make those changes
• When thoughts, feelings, and problems are impacting multiple domains of someone’s life and getting in the way of the relationships and activities that are important to them

There are many benefits from therapy, such as:

• Addressing symptoms and causes of problems, thoughts, feelings, and behaviours can help to improve relationships, mental well-being, health and sleep, as well as reduce negative thought patterns.  Bottling up feelings can make things worse.  Mental wellness is closely connected to physical health, and long-term or neglected stress symptoms can lead to a whole host of health problems. 
• You or your child may learn some strategies and techniques to reduce stress and manage anxiety, mood, and other challenges.  The things that you learn about can help you to find new ways to respond to challenges and to become more prepared for future stresses and problems.  You can gain skills and confidence to cope with problems on your own.
• Talking to a therapist, a neutral person that is invested in your well-being, can help you to take a different perspective, to become more reflective, and to think more clearly when problem solving and decision making.  It can help you to better understand yourself and others, and to normalize some of the things that you are experiencing.
• The impact of therapy can be long-lasting.  Research tells us that we can change our brains - meaning that we can rewire even deeply rooted negative thought patterns.  Internalizing the different processes of therapy can help to make impactful, positive changes in our lives.

Finding the right therapist:
You can find listings of therapists online, though word of mouth, and through doctors and other medical professionals.  Finding the right one for you or your child might seem overwhelming if there are a lot of choices.  You or your child will feel more comfortable with a therapist that is a good match.  Ideally this is someone who:

• You or your child can build a relationship with and connect with
• Is trustworthy and non-judgmental
• Feels like a safe person to be vulnerable and honest with
• Is experienced with the particular issues that you or your child are dealing with
• Offers the type of therapy you are looking for, such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based interventions, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), solution focused therapy, group therapy, or others.
• Fits in your budget and/or offers services that are covered by a benefit plan

You might also want to think about any other specific characteristics you may be looking for in a therapist.  For example, some people would prefer to work with a therapist that matches them more closely in age, gender, race, culture, or religion.  Reading a therapist’s bio or profile can give you an idea of their credentials, experience, and any specializations they may have.  Speaking directly with a therapist for a consultation can also provide an opportunity to determine if they could be a good match.  Clearly communicating your needs and goals to a prospective therapist will help them to know if they are able to provide you with what you need.

Once you find the therapist that is right for you, you and/or your child will work together with the therapist to identify concerns, understand how these concerns impact your life, and create and implement a plan that will help you to tackle the problems that are getting in the way of well-being and happiness.  
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If you are ready to take the first step, contact us for a free consultation.

Author

Written by Lisa Brandon
​October 30, 2022

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