When to seek psychotherapy?
There is an array of reasons for which people seek psychotherapy. Each person faces unique events in their lives and unique environments. Some may choose to seek help at a specific time in their life while others do not. It is up to you to evaluate your situation and determine whether this is something that would suit your needs. There is not right or wrong reason to seek psychotherapy; it truly revolves around your needs (whether they are medical, psychological, social or personal)! People often seek psychotherapy at a time when…:
- You feel stuck in a mood or an emotion such as depression, anxiety, grief, or anger for a period of time, and these feelings do not seem to go away.
- You feel a certain behavior or habit has started to affect your daily life and/or your relationships with others, such as addiction, gambling, poor impulse control, social anxiety, aggression, etc. These are affecting your life in significant ways.
- You feel you are struggling with a relationship and conflicts aren’t resolved, such as marital conflicts, interpersonal relationships, parent-child relationship, etc.
- If you are experiencing difficulties while going through some major transitions in your life such as coming to a new country, job change, becoming a parent, marriage, losing a love one.
- If you feel you could use help to achieve your aspirations and goals, such as getting good grades at school, meeting someone, starting a career, finishing a project.
Through the process of psychotherapy, you will be able to develop new coping skills, gain new insight into yourself and your circumstances, improve emotional life, and feel a greater sense of control in the choices you make. Many people who have used psychotherapy are able to discover a new sense of purpose and hope in life, become more aware of new choices and possibilities, and more able to live a fulfilling and satisfying life.
Psychotherapy could be used as a way to develop healthier self-esteem and positive life attitude through self-exploration and self-understanding. You DO NOT have to feel sick or be sick in order to seek psychotherapy; as indicated previously, it all depends on how you evaluate your situation and assess your own needs. Seeking psychotherapy is NOT a sign of illness, it is a common service that is also being utilized popularly in today’s modern society.
It is important to recognize issues of diversity when speaking of psychotherapy. Cultural factors may influence when and if an individual seeks psychotherapy. In some cultures, such services have great stigma attached to them. This stigma leaves a sense of hesitation among many who may otherwise benefit from psychotherapy. In other cultures, psychotherapy is strongly encouraged as a means to promote one’s health. Furthermore, women may find more ease in seeking such services while men may try to cope in alternate ways; though this may not be representative for everyone.