Therapy, Anyone?

The decision to seek therapy is a personal one but very much a sign of strength and a desire to improve one’s quality of life. Therapy can help you navigate confusing emotions while developing coping mechanisms in the struggle. What I find most interesting about the process is the insight gained into your thoughts and behaviors along the way. A deeper understanding of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors helps you make more informed choices in your everyday life. Reducing stress, improving communication skills and strengthening your connection with others are just a few desired benefits of the work, thus promoting a much sought-after balanced lifestyle. Difficulty in functioning daily, negative thought patterns, struggles in relationships, traumatic events, substance abuse and feeling “stuck” are common justifications for considering treatment.

Therapy is challenging, internal, and often intangible work. It looks different for everybody and can be on the small end of the “therapy spectrum” daily stressors of life that persuade us to seek help. On the opposite end, you may need to process past deep traumas to alleviate intense emotional pain. One common misconception is that therapy is only necessary after tragic events resulting in PTSD, unimaginable loss, or a person on the verge of suicide. Therapy doesn’t have to wait for a “big enough” crisis. It can help almost anyone know themselves more deeply or simply be a place for venting and processing life’s stressful moments. 

When it comes to healing, there are dozens of styles of therapies documented. The American Psychological Association characterizes them into five broad groups: “psychoanalysis and psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and integrative or holistic therapy”. We as therapists naturally gravitate to the most fitting therapy type to meet the presenting concern then encompass a hybrid approach as the therapy evolves. Specifically, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), Psychoanalytic Therapy and humanistic approaches are commonly utilized. 

Rather than focusing on treatment style, let’s now focus on the most important piece to the therapy puzzle, the fit of the client and therapist relationship. I suggest that checking in on your response to your chosen therapist is of the utmost significance. If you have an initial intuition that you feel a level of comfort with a person and feel like you can trust them, there lies a promising beginning. Ask yourself, “Do I feel like I could really confide in this person and tell them things about myself unexplored with anyone else?”

What is the duration of therapy? Depending on your goals and presenting concerns, therapy can last a couple of months or several years. There is no right or wrong amount of time in therapy. Perhaps the continued attainment of benefits is the true ongoing determining factor. 

We at Dr. Matt Morris and Associates offer private, comfortable offices with six well-studied, experienced therapists. As clinicians, we strive for excellence in doing the work that we truly love. Come begin your amazing journey with one of us…you deserve to be happy!