Do I really need therapy?

I experience many clients saying that they don’t believe that their problems are bad enough - there must be others in need who are suffering more, or that it is indulgent to go for counselling. Maybe people around them have questioned if they really need to get help? If you are finding it hard to manage for whatever reason, remember that you deserve to be heard and that your experiences, memories and feelings are real for you.

Maybe someone around you is suggesting that you should seek some help and you aren’t sure. Ultimately it is your choice.

When any type of mental health or emotional concern affects daily life and function, therapy may be recommended. Therapy can help you learn about what you’re feeling, why you might be feeling it, and how to cope.

Signs it is time to get help

• Thinking about coping with the issue takes up a least an hour a day

• The issue causes embarrassment or shame or makes you want to avoid others

• The issue has caused your quality of life to decrease

• The issue has negatively affected school, work or relationships

• You’ve made changes in your life or developed habits or behaviours to cope with the issue

• Your symptoms are bad enough that you may cause harm to yourself or others

I’ve already had counselling and it didn’t help!

Therapy doesn’t always work immediately. Even in an ideal therapy situation, where you have found someone who you work well with, and an approach that suits you it can take time for changes to become obvious and for symptoms to improve. I understand that this might seem frustrating or that you are wasting your time and money and many people stop going for these reasons.

There is no single correct approach and recent research has found that the single most important factor in the success of pyschotherapy is the relationship between therapist and client. If you didn’t feel heard before, or if your symptoms change or worsen, a different therapist might be better for you. An ethical therapist will let you know if they feel they can’t help you and will normally be able to refer you on to someone more suited to your needs.