What Is A Good Reason To Go To Therapy? 9 Reasons Why You Might Want To Work With A Therapist
“Should I go to therapy?” If you’ve been asking yourself this question, working alongside a therapist might actually be a great thing to do. But, why?
In an attempt to answer this question, I first have to reiterate that only you are able to know why you might seek help from a therapist; what things would you like to process or what mental health goals you would like to work on. I do not know the intricacies and experiences of the inner you, so in this blog post, I’m sharing some general reasons why people might seek to work with a therapist and in a way, speculate why you might, too.
Now, I’m the first one to say that you do not need a “striking” reason to go to therapy. I quote and mention the word “striking” with caution since how significant, serious, prevalent, distressing (fill-in-the-blank) our specific reasons to work with a therapist are is very much subjective. The reasons why you might choose to work with a therapist are no less than anyone else’s reasons.
In fact, I am a firm believer that anyone can benefit from working with a therapist.
Whether it is looking for professional help to process past traumatic experiences to being supported while navigating through the stress of all of the roles and responsibilities of your daily life, working with a therapist can offer relief and an outside perspective to help you cope with these stressors.
Some Benefits Of Working With A Therapist
You can receive emotional support from someone who has gone through an extensive mental health related training
You might gain a different perspective and insight through the issues you are working through from an outsider’s lens
You can learn new coping strategies to manage and improve your mental and overall well-being
You can get to know yourself, your boundaries and goals through self-reflection with the help of a mental health professional
It can empower you to make better choices and decisions for your life
Reasons Why You Might Go To Therapy
The reason why you might want to work with a therapist is going to be specific to your needs. Although many people still consider working with a therapist a last resort decision when they’re at a “breaking point”, the truth is that many people go to therapy for many different reasons such as receiving support through life changes or a difficult time in their lives, getting accountability to achieve a specific goal, or maintaining a sense of balance related to their emotional wellbeing. There is no right reason or right time to start working with a therapist. You don’t also have to be struggling to see one. A therapist can hold space for you and provide an additional perspective to help you navigate the ups and downs of your life.
Even though there is no specific good reason to work with a therapist, here are some reasons why you might want to work with one:
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You want to work on your relationships
You don’t have to go to therapy to seek counseling for a romantic partnership. Whether you are a parent who wants to learn how to be more present or connected with your children, you want to improve your communication with your parents, siblings or family in general, or if you want to learn how to establish boundaries in your friendships, you can benefit from working with a therapist to navigate these roles.
It is also important to point out that your relationships do not have to be on the brink of a breakup or experiencing a straining issue for you to seek out support and guidance from a therapist. You might benefit from learning new ways to relate to others, improve your connectedness and the way you communicate.
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You want to learn new ways to cope with life stressors
Life can be overwhelming and we can feel the heaviness of the weight we carry by handling different roles (parent, sibling, partner, child, etc.). Sometimes, all of these responsibilities get to be too much and we might feel like we are not able to handle life. If you can relate to this or you are feeling overwhelmed, a therapist can help to share with you research-based and practical ways that you can manage these life stressors and take care of your mental health.
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You want to overcome negative thoughts or unhealthy behaviors
Many of us can “hear” an internal voice guiding us through our days, judging us and perhaps telling us how we should do this or that. That internal voice is often our own thoughts, and let’s face it, oftentimes our thoughts speak to us in critical or negative ways. It is often easier to believe a negative thought (thanks to what we call the negativity-bias) but thankfully, we can learn to recognize these patterns and overcome them. A therapist can help you and guide you through recognizing these negative beliefs, challenging them, and implementing various techniques to combat them.
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You need support to care for yourself through a specific mental issue or mental illness
Just like any other illness, managing a mental illness can be a bit of a learning curve. In addition to taking medications, working with a therapist can help you in managing symptoms and learning coping tools and strategies that can support your mental health.
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You need support for specific a challenge you are going through
Things happen. Life can be hard and stressful. Sometimes, we can experience things that can affect the course of our lives and with that, our mental health. If you just experienced a loss, a breakup, a change in plans, a life-changing event, etc., getting support from a therapist can help you in taking the first steps to heal and move forward.
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You are experiencing grief
Therapy cannot take away the pain of your loss, but working with a grief therapist (like me) can provide you support, guidance and a space to share your thoughts & feelings through this difficult and painful journey.
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You want to practice self-care
Caring for yourself can look like very different things. Sometimes, self-care can look like pushing through road-blocks, getting out of your comfort zone, processing events you’ve experienced, setting boundaries or learning new ways to communicate your needs. Collaboratively working with a therapist can be a supportive way to practice these different forms of self-care, self-love and beyond.
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You want to gain awareness and direction about the next steps you might want to take in your life
We’re all figuring things out. We might even say that we’re figuring ourselves out as well. Although for some life can look like a linear journey, for many of us, life can feel uncertain and a journey of exploration.
You might want to work with a therapist if…
You want to feel heard
How many of us have tried to share our difficulties or concerns with someone close to us, only to receive pushback or a judgmental/unsupportive type of response? I know I have. Working with a therapist can provide a safe space to talk openly about the things that are concerning or important to you, with acceptance and support. You deserve to be heard and know that what you feel and experience matters, because it definitely does.
These are just 9 reasons why people might want to work with a therapist but in reality, the reasons to go to therapy are endless. There’s no perfect time to start working with a therapist, but if your curiosity about it brought you to this article, perhaps now might just be the right time. As a therapist but most importantly, as a human, I know that working with a therapist can be life-changing.
Looking to work with a therapist?
If you are ready to work with a therapist, I might be able to support you in this journey.
I’m a therapist (MSW) and music therapist (MT-BC) for women & teens in Florida and I provide individual therapy sessions via Telehealth across the state. If you live in Florida and are interested in collaboratively working with me in therapy, you’re welcome to learn more about me and my approach here or schedule an appointment with me here.