We all take care of our physical health but what about our mental health. We don’t put much efforts and consideration in maintaining our mental health. In today’s world, when there is so much hustle and tension in people’s lives that stress, anxiety and depression: these terms have become very common.
Like when we have headache or stomachache we go to a physician/doctor, so, when we feel extremely sad, anxious or stressed we go to a Counsellor/Therapist. Clients can take therapy in which they can express themselves freely and get the needed help from the therapist.
Now, let’s understand what actually a therapy is and some associated aspects related to it in detail:
What is Therapy and how does it work?
It is the process of developing coping skills and positive thinking in the session with the help of the therapist who is trained to guide the clients in improving their mental health. It helps to change your perspective from negative to positive and from unhealthy to healthy thus people can become able to handle a situation better than earlier. People come to the therapy feeling disappointment, dissatisfaction and discomfort but leave happy, satisfied and liberated.
Therapy occurs in a safe and controlled environment established by the therapist in which the main goal is to replace unhealthy and destructive behaviors into healthy and helpful ones. Empathy, unconditional positive regard, care, support and guidance is provided to the client in the therapy because the client is not receiving any of those in the external environment.
In therapy, all the expectations gets fulfilled so to bring some stability in the client’s life. In therapy, we can say kind of like coaching is given of how to handle the struggles whether internal or external and then learn how to grow and develop in life.
Who is a Therapist?
Therapist is a trained professional who is providing services in the field of mental health in the form of therapy. Therapist can be a Psychologist, Counsellor, Social worker, Coaches, Psychiatrist, etc. They help people to talk about their issues and find out ways to solve their own problems and they just guides and supports them.
Past, Present and Future
Earlier in past, therapy used to focus on just reducing the symptoms. People seeking therapy were called “patients” which was considered a brutal term. Freud was majorly involved in all this and gave his contributions upon how should it happen. Cause of every mental issue was seen under the highlight of sexual repression.
Now, the people seeking mental health treatment are called “clients” instead of “patients”. Mental health issues are not just considered illnesses. Besides the symptoms, focus is also on the person getting the treatment. Talk therapy and Eclectic Approach to therapy is widely popular nowadays. Behavior-focused Interventions are also a major part of the therapy. In today’s time, there is a surge of online therapy which can be taken according to one’s convenience, time and place. We can connect to a therapist who is very good and trained but in another country with the help of Online Therapy. It saves a lot of time and money used for travel plus it’s easily accessible.
The trends which will come in therapy field in future:
- More advanced technology in online therapy
- More inclusion of cultural and LGBTQ Approaches
- Virtual Reality
- New Apps for keeping a track on mental health
- New and advanced medication
Types of therapy
There are several types of therapy :
- Psychoanalytic Therapy
- Behaviour Therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)
- Person-Centred Therapy
- Existential Therapy
- Interpersonal Therapy
- Family Therapy
- Couples Therapy
- Art Therapy
Modes of Therapy
Various modes of therapy are available in today’s time that are easily accessible to everyone. Therapy is proven to be very effective for people with mental health issues. To make it easily accessible and even more effective, it can be done in different modes like:
- Offline Therapy
- Online Therapy
- Individual Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Coaching
- Psychiatry
- Family Therapy
- Couples Therapy
- Marriage Therapy
- Rehabilitation Therapy
What is Online Therapy?
Online Therapy is a professional mental health service provided by a therapist through the internet. It can be done via email, chat, audio call and video call. it is a replacement for clinic or office visits and thus it saves time, money and energy.
Benefits of Therapy
There are various benefits of therapy for one’s mental health as it can help to get rid of several mental issues. It’s not weak to seek therapy but it’s a brave thing to do so because you accept your problems and also want to do something about it.
- It may help to develop healthy significant relationships with others. Therapy aims to develop positive attitude and increase motivating thoughts in the client. So, the client can interact and socialize with others well and maintain good relations and also let go off the toxic ones.
- It may help to increase self-esteem and self-confidence. In therapy, a person learns to accept themselves as who they are and what they are. Thus, they develop self-love. They start feeling confidence in whatever they do and embrace themselves always.
- Therapy helps to improve physical health. Researchers always talk about mind-body connectivity and it is true also. When mind starts to heal, we can see the good impact on body also. Also, in therapy people learn to channelize their negative energy in physical activities which makes them physically healthy.
- People develop coping skills that will be required while having to solve any problem and dealing with a stressful situation in life. These skills are taught by various activities that are done in the session or given as homework.
- Therapy helps people to overcome their past trauma. In therapy, people get a chance to express their repressed memories and thoughts while simultaneously therapist teaches them how to experience them properly.
Goals of Therapy
- To change the maladaptive behavior and destructive thoughts of clients
- To remove personal stress and tension
- To develops self-insight and self-love
- Changing he thinking patterns
- Facilitating decision making and problem solving
- Increasing emotional intelligence and social intelligence
- To develop healthy relationships
- To make the ego more strong
- To develop positive attitude and thinking
- To lower the symptoms being experienced by the client
Issues treated in Therapy
When our daily life is hampered because of the extreme deviation in our behaviour, we know that we need therapy. Here are some issues treated in therapy that have been mentioned below and people experiencing these problems really need therapy
- Aggression issues
- Relationship or marriage issue
- Depression
- Stress
- Death, grief or loss
- Internet addiction
- Anxiety
- Alcoholism
- Poor body image
- Career problems
- Drug addiction
- Midlife Crisis
- Parenting
- Sleep disorders
Who needs therapy?
- If you have a proper diagnosis of a mental health disorder like depression or anxiety, then, the therapy will be automatically recommended to you by your psychiatrist.
- Life stressors in general which are creating problems in your daily life functioning then also you can seek therapy.
- One of the aspects of your life is not being handed by you properly be it career, family, friends, or love relationship, then, you can seek a professional help for guidance and support.
- You faced any trauma like abuse, accident or death of a closed one, the grief that comes after this can be difficult to deal with but professional help from a psychologist is helpful in this matter.
- You have an addiction to anything that is getting proved bad for your mental health then also it is right to seek therapy.
Ethics in Therapy
There are some ethics in therapy that every therapist has to keep in mind while giving therapy that will be beneficial for both the therapist and the client.
- Always take the informed consent of the client
- Therapist has to keep all the information about the client completely confidential.
- Have a professional boundary with the client.
- Respect all the cultural beliefs and values.
- Deal with transference efficiently.
Signs of Healthy Therapy
You ill know that the therapy is going in a right way if:
- You are getting desired validation.
- They guide you and let you make your own decision.
- Communication is goal oriented and effective.
- They are keeping a check on you regularly.
- They are not judgmental.
- You are becoming more self-aware.
- Your thinking perspective has changed.
Warning Signs in Therapy
- They are making decisions for you
- Breaking confidentiality
- Poor communication
- Judgment is there
- Crossing professional boundaries
Types of Professional Providing Therapy
- Clinical Psychologist – Works in hospitals and clinics; diagnose people with mental health issues and treat them
- Psychiatrist – Licensed to prescribe medicine and perform some operations
- Counselling Psychologist – usually work in educational institutes
- Social Worker (psychology) – who helps you with your personal everyday problems
Signs that you need Therapy
Everyone faces stress and mood swings, behavioral issues and distress whether it’s because of career problems, family issues, failure, rejection or personal loss. Most people come out of that bad phase and move on eventually but sometimes you may need more help and that too from a professional. Sometimes, we need a change in perspective which is not possible by self but from somebody else’s help. But surely there are some signs that signify that maybe you require therapy and some of them according to mental health experts are:
- You are facing problems in managing your emotions
- Your work is not up to the mark as earlier
- Sleep and appetite changes for a long period of time
- You find it difficult to socialize anymore
- You have faced a significant traumatic situation in life
- You have lost interest in earlier enjoyable activities
- You have become addicted to alcohol, drugs or smoking
- Your physical health has deteriorated
- You want to help yourself but are confused at the same time
How to Find a Right Therapist
Therapist is a person in front of whom we open up and express our sorrows and fears. So, that person should be good for us and a knowledgeable expert. As whatever they will do directly impacts our mental health so, choosing a therapist should be done well. Do a whole research about the therapist and set your goals beforehand.
Tips from Therapists
Here are some tips by experienced therapists:
- Writing down thoughts is helpful in the therapy
- Practice Positive Self-talk
- Set not only goals but also sub-goals
- Replace negative thoughts with positive ones
- Find your support system
Seek Professional Help at Medavas
If you think that you need help in improving your mental health with the support and guidance from a Counsellor then you are on a right platform. You will get desired help from the Counsellor trained in and providing all different types of therapy. Thus you can learn how to solve problems, develop skills, increase positivity in life and create a life in which you can manage your emotions by yourself. You can have various types of therapy at Medavas which provides the best online therapy services. Therapists are trained in various therapies like CBT, REBT and many others. You can choose your therapist according to your choice and book the appointment at your convenient time and mode of session.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Therapy
What are all the things that a client should know before taking the therapy?
It is important to be prepared before the first therapy session. Here are some tips for you if you are about to take your first therapy session. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Also, express as much as you can as there will be no judgment and try to be honest. Always be on time and utilize every single minute of the session and set realistic expectations in therapy. Don’t try to discuss everything in the first therapy session as it will create chaos
Which things make Online therapy better than Offline Therapy?
There are many things that make online therapy a better option. One of them is connectivity to therapists who are far away. Online therapy is convenient and accessible. Also it is very useful for people who don’t like going out simultaneously privacy is maintained. It involves fast service and sessions can be booked very quickly. It is proven to be as effective as offline therapy
Which therapy helps with the negative thinking?
Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is the most effective therapy for negative thinking as it challenges the thought patterns and cognitive restructuring. It trains how to use motivating and good words in day to day life.