You may be asking yourself if you should go to therapy because you are struggling. The short answer is yes! Everyone can benefit from therapy, no matter where they are on their mental health journey. Mental health is not all or nothing. It is not that we are mentally healthy, or not, because mental health exists on a spectrum. We can always work on and improving mental and physical health. Mental health like a muscle: it can be strengthened through consistent training.

Should I go to therapy?

A therapist can help guide you through the confusion. There are many perspectives and treatments available, and it can be overwhelming to try and understand what it is that you need in order to improve your mental health. Think of your therapist like any other guide, one that can advise you on tools that may help you, discuss routes that you can take, and help to prevent you from getting lost along the way. 

What to expect when starting therapy?

Your therapist will spend your first session getting to know you and why you are there. It’s okay not to know what kind of therapy you are looking for! Your therapist is there to help navigate you through the process, come up with a therapy plan, and to work with you to discover your needs and what will be most helpful. At Willow and Sage Counselling, an intake session for children focuses on meeting with the parents or caregivers, while the second session is one-on-one with your child. This enables the therapist to get to know you, your child, and their needs before starting their individualized therapy plan in subsequent sessions.

Your therapy plan may include what are called directive and/or non-directive treatments. Directive treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) can be used to work on challenges such as anxiety, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and eating disorders. Non-directive treatments include talk therapy or art therapy. A client may simply want to spend a session sharing their burdens or asking for advice. Your needs can change at any time and a skilled therapist will be able to tailor the therapy based on what you are experiencing.

How do I find a therapist?

Everyone will have different needs when it comes to how often they attend therapy. Some people will start therapy in crisis and may need more help at the beginning. Others may be farther along on their journey and require less frequent check-ins. We typically recommend weekly or bi-weekly sessions to start, and then re-evaluate as needed. You and your therapist will be able to come up with a plan that works best for you. 

The simplest way to find a therapist is through an internet search, or you can ask trusted people who already work with a therapist. Some people find face to face sessions more helpful, so finding a therapist nearby may be a good place to start. You may have some idea about what you would like to work on, such as trauma, neurodiversity, or depression, or you may be interested in a specific type of treatment, like Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), or Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing therapy (EMDR).

Sometimes the therapist you choose will have a wait list; do not hesitate to ask them for a referral! It is important that you get started on your therapy journey as soon as you can, and therapists will know other practitioners that may suit your needs.

Contact Willow and Sage Counselling today.