Therapy Isn’t Just for Crisis’: Benefits of Ongoing Support
One common misunderstanding relating to therapy is, “therapy is only for people in crisis” (i.e., individuals facing major loss, trauma, or emergencies). While therapy is an effective form of support during those times, it is also beneficial for everyday mental wellness.
When we only engage in therapy during a crisis, the focus becomes on “putting out the fire” or managing the immediate issue as opposed to doing the deeper work and focusing on the underlying factors. These factors tend to show up in other areas of our life, such as, in our relationships (with ourselves and others), work dynamics, and/or increased mental health issues (anxiety, depression, etc.).
When it comes to our physical health, we don’t wait for an emergency to go to the gym, eat well, or take care of ourselves. We also don’t need to wait until things escalate to a crisis or become too overwhelming to prioritize our mental health.
Below we have highlighted some of the benefits of ongoing support:
Build Emotional Awareness: helps recognize what you are feeling while becoming more in touch with your body and emotions.
Strengthen Coping Skills: add to your toolbox to better navigate life’s day to day stressors, conflict, and unexpected changes.
Break Old Patterns: identify unhealthy patterns that show up in your day to day interactions (with self and others) while creating new patterns that better align with your authentic self.
Respond Instead of React: learn to take space and respond more effectively, instead of reacting immediately from emotions, triggers, or past experiences.
Identify Triggers/Blocks: understand emotional blocks and triggers, while creating space for more self awareness.
Build Resiliency: resiliency is something we build and therapy is an effective place to learn these skills in a space where you are seen, heard and supported without judgement.
You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. Ongoing therapeutic support can be about reflecting, building skills, talking through everyday stressors, working through patterns in relationships, understanding triggers, and/or exploring emotional blocks. Moreover, it provides a safe space to build a more authentic relationship with yourself, allowing you to show up in all areas of your life.
If you or someone you know is looking to add to their toolbox, we encourage you to book a free consultation call with one of our therapists to see if they would be a good fit to support you through your therapeutic journey.