What is therapy?
Therapy, also called counselling or psychotherapy is the process of meeting with a trained professional to talk through and resolve many issues like problematic behaviours, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, relationship issues or problems with the body.
There are lots of different types of therapy and therapists and you may find that a particular type or particular therapists doesn’t work for you, another could be a game changer and lead to a huge improvement.
Therapy isn’t all about your childhood or processing the past, this can be a part of it and the past can be helpful to understand the present but it’s more about the here-and-now and working through challenges you’re facing at the moment. The therapist will go at your own pace, not theirs.
Does talking really help?
It’s a common misconception that simply talking to someone about your feelings, emotions, thoughts or what’s happened in life won’t actually help anything. This is usually because most of the conversations we have day to day aren’t very impactful and we don’t get much noticeable benefit from them.
However, we’ve all had a chat with someone where afterwards we felt like a weight had been lifted or simply much happier for having had it. This is what therapy is like but on a much deeper level.
Therapy can be simply processing what happened this week or working through deep-rooted beliefs with someone who has trained for over 6 years to do that safely and beneficially.
5 tips to get the most out of therapy
1. Decide what you want to achieve
People often know they want help but they’re not sure with what exactly. Have a think about what your ideal outcome is that you would like from therapy. It might be to visit a certain place, to feel a certain way, to sleep better or any number of different outcomes. Write these down and refer to them when speaking to your therapist.
2. Write down what you have been thinking and feeling
It’s common that a person will get to their therapy session and their mind go blank. This can ramp up the stress and make it difficult to get the most out of your time together. Before the session write down what has happened, how you have felt and anything that might be useful so you can refer to it during the session
3. It’s your time, use it however you want
Try not to worry about what the therapist is thinking or feeling, they are here for you, it’s not about them. If you have something pressing on your mind that’s different to what you spoke about last time, then raise it. You can always revisit the other thing and sometimes you may even find that they’re linked but didn’t realise it.
4. If it’s not working, say something
You might find that after several sessions you don’t notice any difference. Don’t be afraid to mention this to the therapist, they should appreciate the honesty and may well be able to change their approach or recommend something more suitable. Don’t give up on it because it hasn’t helped yet.
5. If it feels like a big step, start smaller
Therapy can feel daunting to many, it’s normal. If it feels too much for you then start by speaking to a friend who will just listen (not attempt to fix anything) or an organisation like Shout or the Samaritans who will just listen and are 100% confidential.
Weekly Wellbeing Tip
When organising your day, start with your breaks and plan everything else around them. This way taking a break becomes non-negotiable. Respect your own boundaries.
