People choose therapy for many different reasons, and there are many good things about going to a psychologist. Talk therapy can help people improve their communication skills and find ways to deal with mental health problems. Whether you are already in therapy, are thinking about seeing psychological professional services, or are thinking about trying online therapy for your mental health, it helps to have a general idea of what psychotherapy is and what its benefits are.
The Benefits of Therapy
Therapy has a number of benefits that the patient will probably use at different points in the treatment process. The goal is to treat both the causes and the effects of mental health problems so that the person can live a healthy, useful life.
Learning healthy coping mechanisms
A clinical counselling psychologist Hoffman Estates, IL helps people with mental health problems find ways to deal with them. To heal and get rid of the symptoms of mental health problems, you must be able to deal with these problems in a healthy, positive, and constructive way and move on from them.
Therapists contribute to your support system
A therapist's job is to help their patients feel less alone and more supported as they deal with their problems. Whether we mean it literally or not, when we feel like we're facing our problems alone, they're not only harder to solve, but the feeling of being alone may make them worse.
Meeting your goals
During treatment, you and your therapist should work together to come up with the goals you want to reach in life? Your therapist will also help you reach and achieve these goals.
Overcoming past trauma
If problems from the past, especially those related to traumatic events, aren't dealt with, they can stay with you and make your daily life hard. It's not always easy to get over past trauma, but it is possible with the help of a therapist.
Improve relationships and develop better conflict resolution skills
It can take time to improve your relationships with other people and with yourself, but this is a huge benefit of working with a therapist. For many people, relationships are a big part of how we feel about our lives and who we are. Relationships that are good for us can make us better people, while relationships that are bad for us can make our mental health problems worse.
Better management of difficult emotions
When a client works with a therapist, one of the main goals is to get rid of self-destructive habits and reactions to emotions like anger and resentment that have been around for a long time. People have these kinds of feelings all the time, but not everyone handles them the same way.
People who are having a hard time with feelings like grief, anger, or guilt can benefit a lot from counseling that is well-planned and done by professionals. Good counseling helps both mentally and physically.
A professional therapy for adults can help people find a way to get better. Good counseling gives helpful insights and lets people see themselves from a different point of view, which helps them become more self-aware.
Beyond the famous and wealthy
News feeds and social media are full of stories about famous people who have had problems with their mental health or with drugs or alcohol. Some people might see these stories as interesting extras to the news of the day. But people should also know that even the rich and famous need good mental health care every once in a while.
Letting Go
Therapy sessions that are well-planned and led by a psychological therapy services Buffalo Grove IL can be very freeing. This is especially helpful in the busy world we live in now, where people can feel pulled in too many directions at once. Some people may feel like their thoughts and feelings are stuck inside of them. These feelings that are pushed down can hurt the body and cause a lot of stress.
As people go about their daily lives, they naturally experience low levels of stress. But this kind of stress, which comes from holding back feelings, is not healthy. When these feelings are so strong that they get in the way of a person's daily life, they can cause mental and physical health problems.
Less Alone with Your Emotions
Emotions have a big effect on what a person does. This affects how people think, which can make them avoid or get involved in a number of unhealthy things. People may sometimes feel like they can't talk about how they're feeling.
People in their lives, like friends, family, and loved ones, are among the people they can't or won't help. Some people feel alone and cut off from the people around them. If this loneliness isn't treated, it can sometimes lead to low-grade depression or make people want to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs.
Benefits to Your Mental & Physical Health
Counseling can help people feel better about themselves and the world around them over time. Most people can improve their mental health by looking at their thoughts and feelings from a different point of view. When people feel mentally healthier, they will probably also feel physically healthier.
Insurance Coverage
Many more employer health insurance plans now cover behavioral health therapies. This makes it easier for people to get counseling. Of course, this gets complicated because everyone has a slightly different health care plan. For example, Medicare insurance covers mental health services that don't need to be done in a hospital. People should call the customer service number for their insurance plan to get more information. If not, psychiatry practices that are better organized will be able to answer most of their patients' questions about insurance.
When we hear the word depression we may traditionally think about sadness or having the blues. Depression literally means to “press down” and/ or a feeling of being “pressed down” (Kanter, Busch, Weeks, Landes, 2008). Depression can be a mood or an emotional state and is the most common clinical diagnosis in the United States. Depression affects more than 21 million adults and almost 4 million youth (ages 12-17) every year (mental health America, 2022).
That means that over 1 in 10 of our youth are experiencing symptoms of depression that include feeling empty, restless, irritable, difficulty concentration or making decisions, lack of energy or pleasure in activities they once enjoyed, hopeless, worthless and even thoughts of death or suicide. Without interventions, depression can impact one's ability to function at school, work, at home or in social settings.
In the winter months, depressive symptoms increase due to the “holiday blues” as the holidays can be a lonely and stressful time (NAMI, 2022). So what can we do to encourage healthy habits towards maintaining our mental health as we approach the holiday season?
- Identify and Express how you are currently feeling
- Set goals using the SMART method (specific-measurable-attainable-relevant-time) Spend time in nature
- Spend time in nature
- Practice gratitude
- Assess sleep and diet routines
- Schedule an appointment with a mental health provider
Here at Guada Psych, we have a highly-trained staff of clinicians that provide a safe space to explore any challenges you might be having and how to overcome them. And don’t forget, you are not alone! If you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of suicide, please use the 9-8-8 suicide and crisis lifeline for immediate assistance.
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