Normalizing Therapy Services
By: Michelle Desmond Richards, MSW
It is simply a given that we take every step necessary in order to stay healthy. We eat clean, drink water, exercise, and go to the doctor for routine checkups. If, during these routine appointments, we were to uncover a health concern, there would be no question that we would work alongside our doctors to treat the problem. So, why don’t we prioritize our mental health the way we prioritize our physical well-being?
According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 46.4% of adults will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. This statistic should be unsurprising. After all, life happens; we all experience loss, stress, and overwhelming situations at one time or another. However, to many Americans, asking for help from a professional is often seen as scary, unnecessary, or even taboo.
Mental health treatments are often stigmatized in our society, with the majority of people equating therapy to weakness, an inability to cope with stress, or a loss of control over their lives. In reality, therapy gives a person more control over their life by giving them the tools necessary to feel confident and secure in themselves and their life situations. In turn, asking for help avoids the long-term “snowball effect” that often comes with suppressing and bottling up our emotions.
If you are still skeptical on the benefits of therapy, take it from someone who has spent a great deal of time in a therapist’s office. I guarantee that asking for help is not a weakness; it means that you are courageous.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage.” - Brené Brown
Let’s Talk About Some of the Benefits That Therapy Can Provide.
1. When someone shows us the areas in which we are thriving, it can give us the strength, confidence, and perspective we need to work on our weaknesses.
One common example of this is self-care. We often put others first, whether our families or our coworkers, but we often neglect our personal needs. Talking to a therapist can help us recognize these aspects of our lives that we may neglect to address.
2. Although a therapist can’t solve our problems for us, they can offer a fresh perspective and coping strategies to help us battle the difficulties we are facing.
3. Sometimes just saying things out loud and feeling heard and validated by someone outside your regular circle can make you feel better and stronger.
4. Therapy can help provide a name (and, often, a treatment) for the difficulties that we are facing. Whether you are struggling with a more common mental health struggle like anxiety or depression, or if you are going through something more complicated, a therapist can diagnose and treat whatever it is we are going through.
Therapy’s benefits expand beyond what we typically expect. It can help you treat physical - as well as emotional - problems and help you gain perspective on others in your life, all while providing a source of comfort. According to the Forbes article, 11 Intriguing Reasons to Give Talk Therapy a Try (written by Alice G. Walton, PhD in Biopsychology and Behavioral neuroscience), one of the greatest benefits to therapy is the realization that you are not alone in your struggles.
“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation about illnesses that affect not only individuals, but their families as well.” -Glenn Close
Mental health is slowly becoming normalized thanks to prominent women such as Kristen Bell, Megan Markle, Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles. These often-public battles with mental illness have shed light on the fact that anyone can struggle with mental health and that asking for help should be a given, not a taboo. Their struggles are no different than anyone else’s: very personal, complicated, and something that they believed that the world could not judge for them.
It is important to note that not everyone has the same access to mental health care services and that lack of insurance or financial means often poses a barrier to getting treatment. If you feel like you are in this situation, here is a list of resources to explore. □
Article Credits
Mental Health First Aid USA - 5 Surprising Mental Health Statistics (2019)
Forbes, 11 Intriguing Reasons to Give Talk Therapy a Try, written by Alice G. Walton (2021).
Goodrx.com, How to Access Therapy and Other Mental Health Services If You Don’t Have Insurance, Gina Roberts-Grey.
By: Michelle Desmond Richards, MSW
Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash