New year, new opportunities: Reasons to consider psychotherapy

 The new year can bring thoughts about new beginnings, often in the form of resolutions, goals, and opportunities- at least, I know this is the case for me! Whatever people want the new year to look like in terms of things to look forward to, achieve, or even just figuring out how to survive and thrive even without an end desire in mind, I’d like to encourage people to lean into whatever they want the new year may look like for them.

As people are considering what they want their life to look like, whether it’s due to the new year or due to a deeply held desire that has been within for a while, many people are considering trying out psychotherapy. If you’re reading this blog, perhaps this describes your current situation. Whether you are seeking our psychotherapy for the first time, tenth time, or even if you’re not necessarily seeking out therapy for yourself but for another person who you believe could use the resource, I think it’s wonderful that you’re considering therapy and I welcome you to this blog and to my website!

For this month’s topic, I am hoping to encourage those who may be looking into therapy to examine reasons to consider psychotherapy to assist you with your mental health needs, as well as other things to consider if you’re looking for a therapist! 

So without further ado, let’s begin!

Why Therapy?

Psychotherapy is a treatment method that describes helping people specifically with emotional difficulties and mental health disorders, mostly in the form of talking. When you are in treatment, the psychotherapist you work with will help you through emotional and other mental health difficulties. They do this by being an empathetic and caring listener and guiding you through those concerns in a way that seems fit based on what your needs are. In order to help you find out what your personal needs might be, the therapist will collaborate with you (and sometimes other healthcare professionals or people in your life that you want involved in your treatment, based on your consent) to come with a plan on what to focus on and address in your sessions, as well as a way to check on progress as treatment occurs. There are many different types or forms of psychotherapy, and you and your therapist will come up with the best form of treatment based on your needs and therapeutic goals. There is no accurate, exact time to determine how long your treatment will be, as that may be dependent on different factors-however, one can be assured that therapy is ultimately a choice, and whenever you would like to end therapy is up to you; however, it is best to communicate with your therapist when you believe you are wanting to end sessions. 

Research shows that therapy benefits about 75% of people who participate, with clients reporting improvement in management of moods and behaviors that were previously affected negatively due to mental health issues. This improvement is typically due to having received coping mechanisms to help work through and resolve situations that usually impact your mental health negatively. Improvement also occurs due to gaining insight about the root causes of distressing thoughts, feelings and behaviors, a process that helps you consider perspectives on how to approach issues utilizing skills and strengths you already have to ensure ways to heal that are more you-centered. 

Therapy is ultimately you investing in bettering yourself because you want that for yourself, even if discussing difficult topics that may pain us can be a scary, unappealing thing to think about doing at first glance. Pain is often layered, and therapy helps to unearth those layers and see what is lying within that is causing the recurring pain, as well as gain insight into what things may be needed to alleviate that pain. The journey to healing begins with you putting yourself first, which is already worth the investment in itself. 

Misconceptions about therapy

Just like most other things that might be unfamiliar territory, there may naturally be some misconceptions or stereotypes when it comes to the topic of therapy that may be preventing someone from pursuing it. I’d like to address some of the most common ones that I’ve encountered.

“Having and talking about emotions make you weak.”

This may be especially heard in environments where mental health, emotions and acknowledging problems in general are stigmatized. These stigmatizations may occur for an abundance of reasons, including hearing inaccurate information, cultural factors, societal norms, comfort level with vulnerability, etc. But whatever the cause of the stigma, stigma about expressing oneself definitely is a factor that plays into decisions on whether or not therapy is pursued.

While the definition of “weakness” and what makes one “weak” is something that is going to vary per person (and could probably use some exploration in itself), there is nothing wrong with having emotions. After all, emotions are a fundamental part of being a human being- they exist, and they even have an evolutionary purpose  as part of you having a brain, and they are neither “good nor bad”- they just are. Emotions could tell us a lot about ourselves, such how we perceive situations, and can even help us survive. Just like it’s not weak to tell a doctor about a serious physical pain we experience (after all, withholding that information can lead to further complications that could lead to your body actually and literally being weak), the same logic applies to talking about emotional pain you are experiencing. Whether it’s to a dear friend or a therapist, there is nothing “weak” about it- it’s just part of who we are as beings. Is it often uncomfortable? Yes, it can be, just like any other type of pain. After all, we naturally try to avoid painful situations if we can help it. But if this is the case, maybe this counter is more about comfort and discomfort rather than strength/weakness- which is something therapy can also help sort out.

“It’s better to ignore problems than dwell on them.”

This belief is very similar to the one above. While everyone has their own reasons why they may ignore existing problems, many of which may be valid, is there reason to believe why ignoring would be “better” in the long run? Especially in cases where the problems are recurring, unsolved, and the ways you’re choosing to ignore it might actually be impairing your life negatively more than positively? Ignoring problems might work in some situations where it’s warranted or makes sense, but for the most part, ignoring problems keeps the cycle of the problem’s existence in your life going. Is this cycle truly better for you? Has it served you to help you become the person you’d like to be?

“Therapy is not really confidential.”

Fundamentally, therapy is confidential. It’s a part of our therapist’s code of ethics, as well as the law, that we are generally not to break confidentiality. It is true that, by law, there are exceptions to this confidentiality, due to us being mandated reporters, and the exceptions are the following: If a therapist has reasonable suspicion to believe that you are in danger to harm yourself, if you are a serious threat of danger and intent/plan to harm others, or that you are in danger of being harmed or have recently been harmed (especially in regards to children and elders being involved), therapists are mandated to report these situations to the proper authorities. As you may have noticed above, these are all issues that have to do with safety. Caring about your safety is an important part of our profession as therapists, as we are rooting for you to be at your healthiest. Therefore, unsafe situations are taken very seriously.

Other situations where confidentiality may be an exemption includes information between medical providers and therapists and insurance companies that are billing services, and if there are specific legal issues involved in which a therapist might be subpoenaed for court. For example, if you’re paying for therapy with insurance, insurance companies usually need to have a diagnosis in order to have a justifiable reason to pay for the service you’re receiving, which would be kept within their records. Also, sometimes it may be necessary for therapists to consult with your other medical providers so they can collaborate together in helping you with a treatment plan (after all, physical and mental health are often co-occurring and working together). And if not with a medical professional, maybe there is someone else you want involved in your therapy treatment that could offer further insight into helping you. For most of the exceptions I’ve mentioned in this paragraph, though, these are things that you give consent to. I wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone outside of yourself, let alone acknowledge I’m working with you, unless you sign a release for me to speak with whoever it is you would want me to speak with. Also, most of what I mentioned above has to do with the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) law. In the beginning of therapy, your therapist will give you paperwork that covers all of this: confidentiality and exceptions,, HIPAA, etc; in which you can choose your consent. If you have further questions about this, I’d encourage you to ask those questions to your prospective therapist. 

But if you take away anything from this section, it’s that therapy provides you a confidential setting to disclose what it is you want to disclose, and that with the exception of serious, severe and dangerous issues that have to do with safety that confidentiality is not breached. Anything shared with others outside of that regards what you’ve given permission for the therapist to share in order to work towards your progress. If therapists break confidentiality outside of that, we can be liable, which is yet another reason we take this very seriously.

If you’d like to know more information on topics concerning confidentiality, here are links to additional helpful readings for your research:

-https://theranest.com/blog/breaking-client-confidentiality/

-https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html

-https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/

“I  don’t want to be told what to do/I want to be told what to do.”

I’ve heard both concerns within the spectrum of “being told what to do”- some people feeling as if they may be talked down to, and others feeling as if they want to be told exactly what to do and thinking that therapists are there to do just that. But it’s important to know that either/or is not the role of the therapist or the goal of therapy.

While it’s important to know that every therapist has their own style for how they communicate and work with their clients, the goal isn’t for us to tell you what to do. We are wanting to guide and empower you to make your own decisions. Therapists may ask you questions that are rooted in curiosity, observations, your own personal desires and needs as well as what you’re wanting to achieve, but these questions ultimately serve to empower you. Therapists may give suggestions, as we may have knowledge of tools and resources that may help or benefit you to be knowledgeable about. But you won’t be told what to do- that is going to be up for you to decide. But if the prospect of this happening/not happening is a cause of concern, it’s best to communicate and address this concern with any prospective therapists so you can get an idea of how each therapist might address this concern.

What to consider when looking for a therapist to begin therapy

-Yourself-

As I might have mentioned before, therapy is ultimately a choice, and a big factor into what may make it work has to ultimately do with yourself, as you are just as accountable as the therapist. Consider your willingness, your priorities, and your abilities: what are you willing to invest in order to work towards your personal self-healing journey? Whether it’s your schedule, finances, or even the emotional investment which honestly can feel laborious at times (though is more often worth it than not), consider what your needs are and if you’re willing to try and allow therapy in your life.

Going back real quick to the point about finances, as this is often a barrier for many: do consider your financial needs and options available. Many therapists are private-pay only (meaning they do not take insurance) but do offer a sliding scale for those with differing financial needs. Many therapists also accept insurance, so if insurance is something you already have, consider utilizing it for your mental health! In the case of insurance (depending on your plan), you’d only need to pay a smaller co-pay in comparison to the full fee. For therapists that are not in your insurance network or do not take insurance but you’d really like to work with, you also have the option of submitting a superbill (a receipt of the therapy services you paid for that is provided by your therapist) in order to receive some reimbursement from your insurance. However, I would really like to stress that there is no guarantee that your insurance carrier will reimburse you, and it is not up to the therapist on whether or not your insurance carrier will reimburse you- it’s the decision of the insurance company itself. This is why it’s important for you to look at your insurance’s policy on reimbursement for out-of-networking providers before considering which options are best for you.

Also, when considering yourself, think specifically about what you’re wanting to get out of therapy. Are you wanting support? Are you wanting to process specific issues to understand what may be the root cause of certain situations? Our needs can be abundant, and sometimes it’s helpful to find a therapist that specializes in a specific issue, or even in a therapeutic method. Or, maybe you already know the population experience, gender, age, ethnicity, etc of a therapist that you’d feel more comfortable working with. This can be helpful in navigating you to find a therapist you’d be interested in working with. Which leads into the next part:

-Your therapist-

I already mentioned a bit above that it may be helpful to consider a psychotherapist that has a speciality. But I want to add that in the process of your consideration, if possible, DO have a consultation before making a decision and DO ask questions! The more questions you ask, the better, not only for you as a client to see if you would be a good fit, but also for the therapist as well. When I consult with potential clients, I encourage questions to be asked, because being honest with yourself in terms of comfortability and therapeutic alliance is so vital and important to the process; after all, your relationship and comfort with the psychotherapist is a huge part of what keeps therapy consistent, hence it being more helpful in your progress. It’s okay to communicate your needs and ask questions, so please do! Consultations are a great first step in doing this.

End thoughts

New beginnings can be difficult, exciting, or anything in between. Whatever emotion you have regarding consideration of therapy is understandable- however, you’re worth investing in yourself for a change, and I’d encourage you to bring whatever emotions, thoughts and questions into the journey of therapy with you- after all, therapists are here to listen to what you hold inside. 

Whatever you choose, I ultimately hope you choose yourself! After all, that’s a significant part of what psychotherapy is about.