Going to therapy and seeing a licensed therapist sounds scary for some people. In 2004, only 27% of adults went to see a licensed therapist. That’s a small number when you look at it. Also, that number has probably increased over the years due to the fact that mental health has become more well known. I want to let you know that there’s nothing to worry about when going to therapy. The therapist wants to help you improve, so you can be the best version of yourself out in the world. Here are 20 reasons why you should see a licensed therapist.
The reason why I say “licensed” therapist instead of a regular therapist is because the licensed therapist has their own private practice. It avoids all of the diagnosis that regular therapists have to do when working in an agency for the government. Okay, let’s get started with the first reason.
1. Your Mental Health Is Low
If your mental health is low, you should definitely see a licensed therapist. They can help you get out of whatever slump you’re in and turn your life back around. Also, no one likes to feel negative and down. You feel drained out of energy and very sluggish. It makes you feel like you don’t want anything to do with life. I know that’s how some of you feel right now, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A licensed therapist will really change your perspective on life, so why not give it a try.
2. You Think You Might Have A Serious Mental Health Condition
If you think you have a mental health condition, you should go to a licensed therapist and see for yourself. A regular therapist could be good for this as well because they can assess you to see if anything is wrong. Just be careful of potentially being misdiagnosed. You don’t want to go on with your life with the fact that you have a mental health problem and not know about it. Also, you don’t have to stay in therapy for a long time if it turns out that there’s nothing wrong with your mental health. So, get a checkup and see where you’re at.
3. You’re Suicidal
I made a blog post about what to do if you’re suicidal and seeing a licensed therapist is a good way to feel better about yourself. Maybe people treated you badly for a long time in your life and you need some sort of support. A therapist is amazing support for you. They will make you feel safe and comfortable. You will be in a safe space where you can fully express yourself without any judgement. How great does that sound? It sounds incredible if you ask me.
4. You’re Thinking of Self-Harm
This is really similar to the suicide one, but self-harm is just as bad. If you’re thinking of self-harm or even started to self-harm, it’s a good idea to see a therapist about it. Obviously, something is bothering you in your life and would like to do something about it. You’re using self-harm as a coping strategy, which is a bad thing. It’s a negative coping strategy. A licensed therapist will guide you to some positive coping strategies like journaling and meditation to help you out. Stop self-harming and go to someone that can help you. You’re more important than that. Don’t beat yourself up anymore. You’re better than that!
5. Your Friends/Family is Suicidal
If any of your friends or family is thinking about committing suicide, then it is best to refer them to see a licensed therapist. They need the necessary help that they deserve. Guess what? So do you too. It’s never easy seeing someone that’s really important to you go through this intense negative feeling about themselves. You should see a therapist to make sure you can handle things and to see if you’re okay. I feel like no one ever really focuses on the person that’s experiencing all of these things around them. It’s just as important as the person that’s dealing with the problem. It doesn’t matter if it’s suicide, depression, stress, or anything else.
6. Your Friends/Family is Self-Harming
It’s important to go see a licensed therapist about it as well. You will learn valuable coping strategies on how to deal with it. Also, some of the coping strategies that you learn, you can pass them off to whoever it is that’s harming themselves. Make sure that they stay away from whatever they use to harm themselves in order for them to be safe. It’s difficult to see this happen right in front of you, so it’s best to make sure that never happens again.
7. Lost a loved one
It’s never easy losing a loved one. It’s even harder dealing with grief all by yourself. The person that you lost will always be in your heart, but that doesn’t mean that you have to dwell on it forever. Seeing a licensed therapist can help the grieving process become much shorter and allow you to enjoy your life again. Remember, that you’re mental health matters. Do what’s best for your mental health.
8. You’re Unsure On Where Your Mental Health Is
This one is very similar to my second reason but has a few differences. With this reason, I am referring to common mental health issues like stress, anxiety, and depression. Things that a lot of people deal with on a daily basis. You may have had more bad days than good days and never understood why. You’re unsure if you’re healthy or unhealthy. It’s no good feeling confused about your mental health status. It’s in your best abilities to see a mental health professional about it. If there’s nothing wrong with you, then that’s good. If there’s something wrong with you, then you’re on the right track of getting quality help.
9. You’re Feeling Unusual
What I mean by “feeling unusual”, I mean “not feeling like yourself”. If you feel like you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do or if you think that something doesn’t feel right, you should see a licensed therapist. We all have those moments where we are acting like ourselves one day, but acting like a completely different person the next day. It’s this lack of consistency that we all need to work on. We all want to be ourselves and become the best version of ourselves. That can’t happen if we don’t feel like ourselves. Like the snickers commercial says, “you’re not you when you’re hungry.”
10. You’re Experiencing Some Symptoms of Mental Health Disorders
This is an important one that doesn’t get looked at very often. Probably everyone has some symptoms of mental health conditions and we don’t go to a professional to see if what we’re experiencing is serious. It’s best to be safe than sorry. Don’t let these symptoms get worse by not doing something about it. Go and see what you can do about it, so you don’t have to worry about it ever again. Having no symptoms is better than having symptoms.
11. Self-Help Techniques Aren’t Working
Self-help techniques are a great way to help improve your mental health. There are so many self-help techniques out there to the point where you can try for a year and still not run out of them. One of those techniques are bound to work right? Well, not quite. Some techniques require some knowledge and expertise to do them. Some techniques on work for short-term mental health issues like stress and anxiety. It’s best to see a licensed therapist make a treatment plan full of techniques tailored to your mental health issues.
12. Your Spouse Is Abusive
Now, we are going to the more serious issues besides suicide and self-harm. If your partner is very abusive to you, it’s really important for you to get help. Any type of abuse is bad to experience, whether it’s sexual, emotional, or physical. You want to get far away from the person that’s abusing you. Get help so nothing bad can happen to you again. A licensed therapist is a perfect solution to this dreadful situation that you’re experiencing. If you’re unsure what kind of abuse you’re experiencing, check out this article I made for more information.
13. You Know Someone That’s Been Abused
This one is for you and the person that’s being abused. Hearing all of these negative things happening to someone you know can be detrimental to your mental health. It’s best to recommend your friend to see a therapist in order to get the help that they need to get through this. It’s also important for you to see a therapist as well if you’re having a hard time dealing with this kind of thing. Both you and that person’s mental health is important. Make sure that you help them as much as possible, so they don’t have to go through this kind of thing again.
14. You Want To Have That Experience
You may have been curious about how therapy really is. S
15. Your Relationship Isn’t Working Out
If you’re unsure on how to get out of your relationship or even if you want your relationship to work out, a licensed marriage and family therapist is the one for you. It’s good to go to therapy if your relationship isn’t working out. Now, this isn’t exactly a necessary option for people to do but it is an option nonetheless. Some people don’t know what to do in a relationship. Some people stay in a relationship even though they are being treated badly. It’s up to you to get help and get out of a terrible relationship or fix one that you believe can work out for the best.
16. You Just Ended Your Marriage
Now, if you are someone that is happy that your marriage has ended, then this is not for you. For those that feel devastated about the marriage ending, this one is for you. It’s never easy being able to deal with things when you’re divorced. Those 10-20 years that you’ve spent with your partner is all gone. None of those memories are being created anymore because that person is gone. They forgot all about you and it’s time for you to forget all about them. Just go see a licensed therapist and move forward in life. It takes more time thinking about what could have been than moving on.
17. You Have No Social Support System
Having a social support system is one of the most important factors in having good mental health. A social support system is friends and family that care about you. You know the people that are supposed to be there for you no matter what. If you’re someone that doesn’t have any friends or family that care about you, dealing with mental health issues can be extremely difficult. A therapist can be an amazing support system for you because they can help you with your problems. You can’t rely on a therapist forever, but the techniques that they give you will last a lifetime.
18. You Hate Yourself
If you hate yourself, you should get some help to improve yourself. You are going to be around yourself 100% of the time, so hating yourself is not going to be beneficial for you. It’s important to feel good about yourself. When you feel good, you do more things that will reinforce that. When you feel bad about yourself, you do things that will make you feel worse. Go see a licensed therapist that will talk about your problems. You will understand more about why you will feel bad and change your thought patterns.
19. Your Friends/Family Recommended It For You
There’s a reason that your friend or family members recommended therapy for you. They have seen you at your absolute worst and want what’s best for you. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you don’t want to see a licensed therapist for this, that’s fine as well. It would be best if you went to see them anyways. You don’t have to stay for every single session, but it’s good to see if it would help you in the future. It’s obvious that they care about you and tried everything in their power to help improve your mental health. Nothing has worked so far, so this is their last attempt. Try it! It can’t hurt at all.
20. It’s A Life-Changing Experience
Going to therapy is a life-changing experience no matter what kind of experience you have. You can see what therapy really is like and base your judgment on that. If it’s bad, don’t go ever again. If it’s good, spread the message to other people that you believe need help with their mental health. No one is forcing you to go as well. It is just a simple suggestion. You give someone your complete trust and express your true feelings. You learn things about yourself that you never thought you would. It’s not a bad idea to give it a try. Go out their and improve your mental health by seeing a therapist.
