Individual Therapy

Debunking the Myths of Therapy

Despite all of the potential benefits of therapy, there are many who still have some fears about therapy. And many of these fears may be based on inaccurate ideas and myths about therapy. Here are a few:

• “Therapy is only for people with serious mental illness.”
  Therapy can be beneficial for anyone facing stress, life transitions, or personal growth challenges—not just those with severe mental health conditions. It’s often a great way to prevent developing more serious mental health concerns.

• “Talking to a friend is the same as talking to a therapist.”
  There is a place for friends and family to support you AND there is a place for a professional therapist to support you. Therapists provide a safe, judgement free, neutral place that is harder for friends and family to create. They are also highly trained in evidenced base strategies to address a myriad of mental health concerns. 

• “Therapy is just talking about your problems.”
  That is only one piece of therapy. Therapy is also about learning new ways to cope, problem solving, changing behaviors, and gaining new insight and understanding into yourself. 

• “Therapists will tell you what to do.”
  It is not the job of the a therapist to give you direct advice on what to do. Instead, it is the role of a therapist to guide you and offer suggestions on the evidence based ways one can make the changes they desire. 

• “Therapy takes forever.”
  Duration of therapy depends greatly on the individual needs of the client. There are many short term modalities and approaches if that is your preference and need. 

• “If I start therapy, it means I’m weak.”
  Here is where we want to challenge this unhelpful idea and encourage you to see that seeking help is actually a sign of strength, self-awareness, and a commitment to self-improvement.

• “Therapy is only for people who had a traumatic childhood.”
  Regardless of trauma history, we all experience difficulties and challenges and therapy can still be beneficial. 

• “You have to be in crisis to go to therapy.”
  Individual therapy in an outpatient setting like ours, is actually not for those in crisis. A more intense treatment is needed when a trust crisis is being experienced. Individual therapy can be beneficial for everyone and even prevent a crisis from developing. 

• “Once you start therapy, you have to stay in it forever.”
  Therapy is a personal journey, and you can decide how long to continue based on your progress and goals.

• “Therapists just sit and nod without saying much.”
  There are a wide vareity of approaches and while some do involve more reflective listening, many are directive and engaging. And at the core, all effective therapists are engaged, ask questions, challenge unhelpful thoughts, and provide meaningful feedback.

• “Medication is a better solution than therapy.”
  Medication can be a very effective means to manage mental health symptoms, but it isn’t the complete package to mental wellness. Research actually supports that the best results come from the combination of therapy and medication management!

• “Therapists will judge me or think I’m broken.”
  Therapists provide a non-judgmental, supportive environment to help you heal and grow.

• “If therapy didn’t work before, it will never work.”
  Finding the right therapist and approach is key—different styles and techniques may be more effective for different people. It can take time to find the right fit, but it is well worth it once you find it!