Wondering if therapy is right for you? You’re not alone.

Seeking help from a mental health expert is something many people consider, especially when:

• facing a significant crisis
• dealing with an extended period of anxiety or depression
• coping with a major life transition
• dealing with complicated family dynamics
• grappling with problems in a relationship
• trying to manage addiction or substance abuse
• wanting to make changes for better mental and emotional health

Regardless of your reason, therapy offers a broad array of benefits for all of us.

Talk Therapy encourages open and honest dialogue about issues that cause you distress. Through your relationship with your therapist, you’ll work to identify and understand how these stressors are impacting your life, plus develop strategies to manage the symptoms.

Being in therapy can also:

• help improve communication skills
• help you feel empowered
• empower you to develop fresh insights about your life
• learn how to make healthier choices
• develop coping strategies to manage distress

Everyone has different opinions about therapy – but there’s no denying that therapy has helped, and continues to help, many people suffering from mental health conditions.

These benefits can be in the short-term, like learning new relaxation techniques or venting and getting things that have been weighing you down off your chest. Many people, though, experience long-term benefits even after their therapy treatment plan is completed, and some studies have shown that therapy can even result in positive, lasting changes to the brain. Also, the coping skills people learn in therapy can benefit them long after they’ve stopped attending sessions, as long as they continue to put them into practice.

Ultimately, the decision to start therapy is a personal one, so here are some questions you can ask yourself to determine if therapy is worth it for you or your loved one:

• Is your mental health negatively affecting your quality of life?
• Is your mental health getting in the way of your day-to-day functioning?
• Is your mental health interfering with you having healthy, fulfilling relationships?
• Do you feel like you can’t handle your difficult emotions, life transitions, or trauma on your own?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, therapy could very well be worth it for you or your loved one.