What do Brad Pitt and Michelle Obama have in common?
They both are proud to say they regularly attend therapy sessions. The best part is they’re not alone. The Duchess of Cambridge, Demi Lovato, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, all have therapists too.
Typically when the world thinks about counseling they picture weak people. Hearing about a celebrity boast about their success with therapy can make you wonder. Why do people go to therapy?
A startling study shows 63% of African American men and women believe having a mental health condition is a sign of weakness. The truth is therapy is a powerful tool for helping you achieve anything you want.
Strengthening relationships and achieving career goals, are just a couple of positive results. Therapy is also amazing at aiding in diagnosing and treating mental health problems.
Are you ready to learn the truth about therapy? Read on to learn everything you don’t know about seeing a therapist.
Why Do People Go to Therapy?
There’s a variety of reasons someone might go see a therapist. Before we delve into the reasons why individuals attend therapy, let’s break through some of the misconceptions. Here’s a short but thorough list of myths that surround participating in therapy sessions.
Therapy is court-mandated
Counseling fix broken people
Therapy is a luxury for the rich
Getting help is a sign of weakness
Any of the above myths alone are enough to scare someone away from getting help. Movies and television shows are one of the ways therapy can be misunderstood. One movie, Anger Management, involves a character who is forced to attend therapy.
The main character, played by Adam Sandler, experiences comedic turmoil as he attends the court-mandated sessions. Many shows that involve legal proceedings, also include therapy as a court-mandated punishment.
While this might make an audience chuckle, it can also paint therapy in a negative light. Audience members start viewing therapy sessions as an embarrassing form of punishment.
Now that you know some of the false truths, let’s explore what’s real. Next, we’ll be looking at some of the real reasons people attend therapy sessions.
Strengthening Relationships
A major reason to attend counseling sessions is to strengthen your relationships. This doesn’t mean people only go to counselors when their relationships are weak. In contrast, a lot of people find counseling sessions are an easy way to maintain strong connections.
Studies show there are 4 main types of relationships you can have. The 4 types of interpersonal relationships include:
Friends
Family
Acquaintances
Romantic
The quality of the relationships you have in your life will impact your ability to grow and learn. When you go to a therapy session you learn new ways to communicate with the people you connect with.
As you grow as a communicator, you’ll even begin to have a better relationship with yourself. Instead of relying on old internal dialogues, or ways of thinking, you can gain fresh new perspectives.
If someone’s marriage is going through a rough time, counseling might be the answer. Learning how to develop trust, or gain it back, can help create infinite solutions.
Realistic Goal Setting
Having big dreams and goals is a great way to live a fulfilling life. However, just believing in yourself and thinking positively, won’t help you reach your goals. Counselors and therapists can help provide you with realistic expectations and timelines.
Oftentimes, ambitious go-getters will find themselves stuck in a vicious cycle of disappointment. Piling too many goals on their to-do list, only to feel sad when they can’t hit the mark.
In addition to getting a goal timeline, you’ll also learn the truth about your intentions. Counselors help you explore the true motivation for the goals you have. Dig deep, and find out why you want to do the things you do. Surprise yourself as you learn what your true version of happiness looks like.
Growing from Breakups
Breakups can be devastating, and even earth-shattering. Imagine, living with someone for years, only to have it end all of a sudden. Did you know, rejection activates the same parts of our brains that tell us to feel physical pain?
Whether you were the breaker-upper or the one receiving the bad news, the results are life-changing. If you or someone you know is going through a breakup, they’ll have a variety of emotions.
Rejection, sadness, and anger, can all occur, and sometimes at the same time. Instead of moving on, a therapist will help you move through your feelings.
The emotions and feelings you experience are there for a reason. You have to allow yourself to feel them, without judging the feelings or yourself.
A counselor might suggest healthy activities to improve your mental health. They might tell you to journal or exercise, as a way to alleviate intense negative feelings.
On top of suggesting activities, they’ll also be able to help you reframe the situation. If you’re seeing yourself as a bad guy, or victim, it can make moving on nearly impossible. Instead, learn new ways to see life and how it occurs to you.
Finding What Works for You
Why do people go to therapy? The answer differs greatly depending on who is attending the sessions, and what their goals are.
Naya Clinics is on a mission to help you find the best therapy to match your needs. We understand that caring for mental health starts by focusing on the right things. Our Positive Existential Therapy counseling sessions are helping reinvent the way the world sees therapy.
Break free of old ways of thinking and embrace the life you’ve always wanted. If you’re thinking about attending therapy sessions, for any reason, we can help.
Naya Clinics has 7 different locations across the United States for you to choose from. We also offer online services for your convenience.
Stop wondering and start growing. Reach out to us today using our contact us page.