How Therapy Helps
Managing the competing demands of career, family and social obligations is challenging for everyone at times. When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help you make sense of things and get back on track. In a safe and supportive environment, a therapist can help you identify what is or isn't working in your life, overcome unhelpful patterns that may be keeping you "stuck," and achieve balance, healing and growth.
When to Consider Therapy
Many people seek therapy when a problem or stressor begins to get in the way of their ability to function well at work, in their relationships, or in social settings. It might be a major upheaval, such as a divorce or break-up, or something more chronic that is taking a toll, such as coping with a loved one's illness or providing care for elderly parents while still parenting children. Therapy can also help with common concerns including relationship or career issues; life transitions; grief and loss; coping with anxiety, depression, or other emotional distress; changes in the family structure; parenting and co-parenting issues; and emotional or behavioral problems in children and teens.
Common Myths About Therapy
If I need therapy, there's something wrong with me. I should be able to figure things out on my own.
This could not be further from the truth. Taking care of your emotional well-being is just as important as caring for your physical health. Life gets challenging for everybody at times, and in the midst of a crisis or other emotionally charged situation, it can be difficult to maintain perspective and find solutions. We are sometimes simply too close to the problem to see things objectively. A therapist can help you explore possibilities and provide an objective perspective and feedback to help you arrive at your own solutions.
Talking about my problems won't change anything, so what's the point?
Therapy is more than just talking about your problems. A therapist is trained to notice patterns and underlying themes in the conversations that take place in therapy. Through learning how these patterns and themes show up in your life, you can start making shifts that can interrupt problematic patterns and reinforce helpful ones. Meaningful change frequently begins with small shifts in thinking or behavior that can quickly add up to greater satisfaction in your life.
My life isn't that bad, so I don't see how therapy would help me.
Therapy can be helpful even if things are going pretty well for you overall. Maybe you have your career handled, but struggle with having satisfying relationships. Maybe you function pretty well in most areas of your life, but wish you could stop being so self-critical. Maybe you wish you could figure out how to be more authentically yourself and stop feeling like you're faking it all the time. It's true that therapy can help you manage big transitions and major upheavals in your life, but it can also be useful for fine-tuning an already well-functioning life, gaining clarity in challenging or confusing circumstances, making decisions about your future, considering new possibilities, and many other issues that we all navigate throughout life.
This could not be further from the truth. Taking care of your emotional well-being is just as important as caring for your physical health. Life gets challenging for everybody at times, and in the midst of a crisis or other emotionally charged situation, it can be difficult to maintain perspective and find solutions. We are sometimes simply too close to the problem to see things objectively. A therapist can help you explore possibilities and provide an objective perspective and feedback to help you arrive at your own solutions.
Talking about my problems won't change anything, so what's the point?
Therapy is more than just talking about your problems. A therapist is trained to notice patterns and underlying themes in the conversations that take place in therapy. Through learning how these patterns and themes show up in your life, you can start making shifts that can interrupt problematic patterns and reinforce helpful ones. Meaningful change frequently begins with small shifts in thinking or behavior that can quickly add up to greater satisfaction in your life.
My life isn't that bad, so I don't see how therapy would help me.
Therapy can be helpful even if things are going pretty well for you overall. Maybe you have your career handled, but struggle with having satisfying relationships. Maybe you function pretty well in most areas of your life, but wish you could stop being so self-critical. Maybe you wish you could figure out how to be more authentically yourself and stop feeling like you're faking it all the time. It's true that therapy can help you manage big transitions and major upheavals in your life, but it can also be useful for fine-tuning an already well-functioning life, gaining clarity in challenging or confusing circumstances, making decisions about your future, considering new possibilities, and many other issues that we all navigate throughout life.
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