If you’re like most people, you’ve probably been asked to see a therapist before. There seems to be one of these guys for basically anything these days. But do you necessarily need to see a therapist for that issue you face? And if you do, which and what kind of therapist should you see?
Your mind is probably buzzing with questions like these. If that’s true, you are in the right part of the internet at the right time, for we are about to give you all the info you need. But first, let’s begin by understanding what therapy is.
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What’s Therapy?
Therapy, sometimes called counselling, differs from what is more commonly called Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy refers to treating primary mental health problems in the long term.
Counselling, on the other hand, is in the shorter term.
It treats more severe mental health problems and symptoms, including stress, bereavement, or substance abuse. Both of these are within the purview of roughly the same health professionals, though a psychiatrist is more relevant to psychotherapy.
Types
There are several ways to classify therapy sessions, including the nature of the problem. However, for the moment, we will concern ourselves with grouping according to the number of patients handled at a time.
Group Therapy
Group therapy is what people generally prefer when they can’t afford the alternative. It basically involves one or more therapists attending to a group of at least five members at once. However, it’s misleading to think that this affordability and larger participation means it’s the less effective option compared to the other.
For instance, consider group therapy for substance addictions. Studies on the efficacy of those have shown, time and again, that group therapy participants show better results on standard measures of success. So, if you find by the end of this article that you need therapy, you might want to try a group.
Individual Therapy
Despite being evidently less effective than group treatment, individual therapy is the more favoured option. An individual therapy session will involve just one patient and the therapist.
However, even though it’s a bit less effective, it still has its merits. For one, it affords more privacy and confidentiality, as not everyone is okay with sharing last night’s disturbing thoughts in front of an entire group.
It’s also usually preferred by most highly qualified professionals because, let’s face it, handling one person at a time is way less exerting. But on the downside, it does not afford you the kind of group support you can get from group therapy.
How Does Therapy Work?
The specifics of how a therapy session will work are relative to a number of factors. For one, it depends on what you are to be counselled for. For instance, therapy sessions for substance abuse may be spread out over several months, depending on the problem’s seriousness.
Therapy for depression, anxiety, and heartbreak can take fewer months. It may even take a few weeks if your ex-spouse wasn’t too much of a jerk.
You won’t necessarily be ‘fully cured’ from the process. However, the goal of therapy is not to solve your problems for you but to guide you in exploring and resolving them. You will generally have to sort through any residual issues yourself.
In any case, there are several approaches to counselling, and a therapist may specialize in or employ any of them. They include:
- Behaviour therapy: This type is best suited for mental health issues, and it’s based on the idea that behaviour is learned and can be modified.
- Interpersonal psychotherapy: This type of therapy explores relationships and interpersonal issues.
- Cognitive therapy: This focuses on specific cognitive and psychological issues with a view to resolving them by changing irrational thought processes. It can sometimes be merged with mindfulness and meditation practices to improve mental well-being.
- Behavioural activation: This is also known as applied behaviour analysis, used to cure depression.
When Do You Need a Therapist?
So, what signs will tell you it’s time to seek help from a therapist?
- Withdrawal
Most drugs and other addictive substances carry a risk of withdrawal. Simply put, it’s that thing where you try to let go of the substances, but the substances have you by the knickers and won’t let go.
This might manifest as trembling hands, pains, depression, nausea, and even seizures. When you notice any of these after trying to get off a substance, it’s time to talk to a therapist.
- Emotional Control Problems
The world can be all shades of infuriating, depressing, and even annoying. Some people and things just show up and ruin your mojo. However, our ability to control our emotions is vital to successfully navigating and functioning in society.
If your emotional balance feels off, you may have something you need to work out with a therapist.
- Loss of Productivity
Mental health problems may manifest as loss of motivation, extreme fatigue, or a general sloppiness that undermines your ability to function as you’d like. And while these signs may just be normal mood changes that will resolve themselves in a day or two, they may sometimes indicate issues that need sorting out immediately.
Why Not Save the Cost and Just Talk to a Friend, Instead?
Group therapies cost significantly less than individual ones, and they may sometimes even be free. But they will usually cost you something, and you may not have the money or insurance. So, you’re probably already wondering why you shouldn’t just talk to your mum, dad, friend, or spouse.
Well, these are not bad options, to be sure. Our loved ones are particularly well-positioned to understand and empathize with our issues. They usually even have privileged insight into your problems that an outsider might not, and they may be able to help us resolve said problems.
However, there are reasons why seeking professional help is usually advised.
- Professional therapists have training, experience, and expertise that a non-professional generally doesn’t.
- While we usually trust our friends to keep our secrets, this is usually not assured. Friends talk, and sometimes they let things slip, whether intentionally or not. With a professional, confidentiality is guaranteed, as a therapist might lose their license if they blab.
- Our friends usually speak from an involved perspective. This may colour their assessment and make it unreliable to various degrees. A trained therapist will approach your issues with more objectivity.
So, should you find yourself in need of some counselling, it’s advisable to go to a trained professional. Of course, if your issue isn’t too serious, talking to a loved one may be best.
Conclusion
So, should you go to a therapist? As we have seen, that depends. From the signs we’ve discussed, you can generally tell when it’s time to see a therapist.
However, we have also seen that therapy costs money, and you don’t necessarily have a boatload of it. As such, when seeking therapeutic help, you should seriously consider your wallet.
And speaking of things to consider, you also want to make sure your therapist isn’t, say, a pediatrician trying to snatch up some quick therapy money.
Use online resources at your disposal to check for qualified specialists you can afford. And unless you are particularly uncomfortable with group sharing, you should really consider group therapy over an individual one.
