In short, my opinion on therapy is thus: everyone should go to therapy. In reality, I know that some people do not have the time or money to go, but I think that everyone would benefit from it.
Many people think that they shouldn’t go to therapy unless they have a severe reason to. While some people do have an intense need to go to therapy due to trauma or grief, people that don’t face such circumstances will most likely find that therapy is good for them too. Even if something isn’t necessarily wrong in their lives, it can still be valuable to walk through one’s emotions and situations.
People may also say that they don’t need therapy because they can talk to their friends about their problems, but the truth is, a therapist is the type of friend that everyone wants but few people have. For example, a therapist is actually trained to talk to you and work through things, which unfortunately most friends are not. Additionally, while friends do have the best intentions, it may be hard to have a therapeutic conversation without feeling judged, without your friend changing the subject, or without a friend brushing off your feelings. For me, I can safely say that I can think of only 3 people who I can trust not to judge me, but that doesn’t mean that I should expect them to ‘therapize’ me. Sure, I can also have deep conversations with my friends and family, but there is a lot of prefacing that may occur. An example of this would be saying “it’s so fine if you don’t want to answer, but what happened when…” This may establish trust and caring, but it also creates an awkward moment if someone doesn’t want to talk, and relationships may become strained if it feels like someone is withdrawn, or if asking questions feels like someone is prying. Additionally, sometimes friends aren’t the best listeners, so going to someone who is paid to listen and trained to help you may make difficult conversations easier.
With a therapist, there are fewer uncomfortable moments than with a friend because you’re in the office knowing that you may get into the nitty-gritty. Even crying is less awkward with a therapist because you may not feel obligated to act like everything is fine. Of course, I think your true friends wouldn’t expect you to always be fine, and they would want to be there for you, but it may be harder to bring up problems with a friend than a therapist, and they won’t necessarily be able to help you as effectively.
A final reason therapists and friends are different is that a therapist has more of an obligation to call you out on bad behavioral patterns. Friends may also have this obligation, but many people would rather encourage you to ‘do you’, than say that what you’re doing is a bad idea. I don’t think this makes someone a bad friend, but it would make them a bad therapist.
Trust is also a huge part of what a therapist does. Because a therapist is legally obligated to keep everything you say a secret unless you are a danger to yourself or others, it makes it very easy to trust a therapist to keep your feelings private. This trust also works in regards to advice. Because a therapist is there solely to help you, their advice will always be honest and unbiased.
The last reason I believe everyone should go to therapy is because it is cathartic. Some people like to write or paint or run to relax, help shake off the day, or to work through their feelings. While these are always great options, they may fall to the side when things get busy, which is not how one should treat their mental health. Mental health is incredibly important, so just like we pay doctors every year to check in on our physical health, mental health should be prioritized just the same. Funnily enough, mental health appointments are often better (at least for me) than regular doctors appointments. As such, it is easy to prioritize my mental health because I actually enjoy therapy and look forward to it. Even if there is nothing particularly bothering me, therapy always leaves me feeling lighter, as if I did a mental reset. Although not always happy in nature, I often feel happier, more grounded, more motivated and more like myself after an appointment, which I think everyone should experience. There is nothing bad about feeling happier, and I think the world would benefit if everyone had help processing events and emotions.
So, if you are looking for a new form of catharsis, or have been considering therapy, I would say go for it! There is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself, and it is even easier to respect someone who does take care of their mental health. Therapy can be great at some times, and not so great at others, but I think that the majority of people who go to therapy find it a good experience, and certainly worth it. You are worth it, so take the time to take care of yourself, and remember that therapists are only there to help you, which is something that should be appreciated and even encouraged among peers.
Leann I Am 