It is generally understood that people see a psychologist and go to therapy to treat mental health issues or to simply achieve better mental well-being.
But what exactly does this mean?
This concept, while now more commonly known than before, is a broad one. In order to better understand this, here are some of the benefits that seeing a therapist can bring to your life.
Is therapy effective?
In the first place, is therapy effective overall?
It might seem easy for those in the mental health industry to declare that therapy is indeed effective. However, research has been conducted from reliable sources and authorities in the field — including the American Psychological Association — to answer this query more responsibly and objectively.1
The general consensus was that psychotherapy is helpful in handling various mental health issues across different types of populations. These include depression, personality disorders, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, PTSD. For instance, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been linked to positive outcomes for those who are struggling with panic attacks.1234
What can I gain from seeing a Psychologist?
Approaching the unknown and unfamiliar can be intimidating and daunting for anyone. It is perfectly understandable to now ask yourself what you can gain from seeing a psychologist.
1. New Perspective
Talking to trusted loved ones is encouraged, and in fact important for your well-being. But a therapist can also give you fresh, new, outside perspective from an unbiased party. They are not directly involved in your life and can therefore look at it from a more objective angle.
Psychologists have the training to help you explore things that you may not have noticed before. They can help you gain new insight about your situation, the reasons why you or the people around you might be feeling or behaving the way they do, and how to move forward from there.
2. Emotional Support
Psychologists are trained and do offer new perspectives, but they are not just well-informed strangers: a good therapist will also care about your well-being.
They can offer you emotional support by being a safe space for you to share anything. You can feel free to express yourself; they’re there to listen without judgment and they want to help you feel better about yourself.
In fact, it is essential to most forms of therapy to apply humanistic principles. These are therapy principles such as showing you empathic understanding and unconditional positive regard, which means not judging you and accepting you simply for who you are.5
They will see your feelings as valid, and will do their best to help you see them as valid too.
3. Helpful Skills
Your therapist can teach you different skills to help you take care of your mental health even outside of your sessions, or beyond the course of treatment.
They can teach you coping skills, techniques to help clear your head and manage your emotions, or ways to practice being kinder to yourself.
They can help you learn how to see situations more clearly and rationally, which can then bring you closer to finding solutions to your problems, as well as challenge irrational negative thoughts and bring you closer to feeling better about yourself.6
Booking your first appointment can seem scary at first, but these are just some of the things you can gain from taking that step.
Sources:
1 Research Shows Psychotherapy Is Effective But Underutilized. (2012, August 9). Https://Www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2012/08/psychotherapy-effective#:~:text=The%20average%20effects%20of%20psychotherapy,functioning%3B%20and%20decreases%20psychiatric%20hospitalization.
2 Munder, T., Flückiger, C., Leichsenring, F., Abbass, A. A., Hilsenroth, M. J., Luyten, P., Rabung, S., Steinert, C., & Wampold, B. E. (2018). Is psychotherapy effective? A re-analysis of treatments for depression. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 28(03), 268–274. https://doi.org/10.1017/s2045796018000355
3 The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy: What the Research Tells Us – Find a Psychologist. (2023). Findapsychologist.org. https://www.findapsychologist.org/the-effectiveness-of-psychotherapy-what-the-research-tells-us/
4 Psychotherapy evidence | UKCP. (2015). Psychotherapy.org.uk. https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/policy-and-research/research/psychotherapy-evidence/
5 Rogers, C. R. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21(2), 95–103. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0045357
6 Research Shows Psychotherapy Is Effective But Underutilized. (2012, August 9). Https://Www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2012/08/psychotherapy-effective#:~:text=The%20average%20effects%20of%20psychotherapy,functioning%3B%20and%20decreases%20psychiatric%20hospitalization.
