How do you know if you need psychotherapy?

As an experienced psychotherapist and counsellor, I’ve often encountered people who aren’t sure if their struggles warrant seeking professional help. It’s not uncommon to anguish over making that first appointment, questioning whether your issues are serious enough. It’s important to know that psychotherapy is not reserved for extreme cases or crises. It’s a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their mental health and well-being. You may just want to make sense of your feelings, understand your reactions to certain situations or to simply get a break from unhelpful thoughts and life patterns.

When should you see a psychotherapist?

If you’re experiencing persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or hopelessness, it’s probably time to seek help. A psychotherapist can help you explore the root causes of these feelings, develop coping strategies, and work towards restoring balance in your life. Remember, it’s okay to seek help even if you think your problems aren’t that serious – your emotional pain is valid and deserves attention.

Coping with life’s transitions

Therapy can be incredibly beneficial if you’re facing significant life transitions or stressful situations. Major changes such as divorce, the death of a loved one, or losing a job can be overwhelming. Even positive transitions, like starting a new job or becoming a parent, can bring about stress and anxiety. A psychotherapist can provide support, helping you navigate these changes, process your emotions, and build resilience.

Addressing relationship issues

Whether it’s conflicts with a partner, family dynamics, or challenges in friendships, relationships can profoundly impact our mental health. Therapy offers a safe space to explore these dynamics, understand patterns of behaviour, and learn more effective ways of communicating and resolving conflicts. Strengthening your relationships through therapy can lead to greater emotional well-being and improved quality of life.

Tackling low self-esteem

If you’re struggling with self-esteem or self-worth, therapy can be transformative. Low self-esteem can affect every aspect of your life, from career success and personal relationships to stepping outside your own front door. A psychotherapist can help you identify and challenge negative beliefs about yourself, build confidence, and develop a healthier self-image.

Past trauma

Dealing with unresolved trauma or past negative experiences is a significant reason to seek therapy. Traumatic experiences can leave lasting scars that affect your daily life, mental and physical health. A psychotherapist can provide a supportive environment to process these experiences, helping you heal and move forward.

It’s astonishing the lengths the subconscious mind will go to protect us. If, for example, you weren’t given the opportunity to process past loss or trauma, your mind can erect a fortress of defences to let you return to a bearable state of existence.  These defences are learned, reinforced and become hardwired. As robust as the defences seem, they can crumble if there is overload or you’re faced with a triggering experience. If this happens, psychotherapy can certainly help.

Even without the triggers, some of us can be aware that our thoughts, behaviour and responses are working against us. Therapy can explore the causes and work to reset the deep-rooted response mechanisms.

Help can be one or two sessions to ongoing, it’s entirely up to you. Just remember, seeking therapy isn’t about weakness, it’s about wanting to regain your strength.