Have you thought about seeking therapy to talk about a rough time you’re experiencing? Maybe you’re concerned that you have symptoms of a mental illness and wish to get a diagnosis and start treatment. Even asking yourself if you need therapy is a huge first step in prioritizing your mental wellness and well-being.
Have you wondered, “Would I benefit from counseling?” Most people can, but it’s important to understand that you get as much out of therapy as you put in. When you work hard with the goals you and your therapist set, you may have more success than someone who’s unwilling to do the hard work of self-reflection or who gets uncomfortable with some of the difficult feelings that can surface during therapy sessions.
At Mental Health Hotline, we believe therapy offers substantial benefits. We’ve grouped the benefits of counseling by therapy type so you can determine which type of therapy might be right for you.
Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps people change how they think so they can benefit from changing their behavior. It helps you have realistic, objective beliefs instead of negative thoughts.
You may benefit by:
- Eliminating or controlling negative self-talk. You can learn how to adapt and change your thought patterns by identifying negative, circular things that could bring you down.
- Coping with grief and loss. You may see relief from emotional numbing or intrusive memories with CBT therapy.
- Improving your view of yourself. People with social anxiety disorder may benefit from CBT.
- Managing depression and anxiety. CBT helps you identify thoughts that lead to destructive behavior and address the interplay between your thoughts and emotions and how you act on them.
Benefits of Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy takes an approach that all behaviors can be learned and so, with therapy, unhealthy behavior can be unlearned.
Some benefits of behavioral modification therapy include:
- Behavioral activation. This approach can help alleviate depression symptoms or overcome grief.
- Reducing phobias. Exposure therapy may help if you have a particular irrational fear that impacts your enjoyment of life and ability to care for yourself and others.
- Managing an eating disorder. Behavioral therapy can help you if you suffer from bulimia, anorexia or binge-eating disorder.
- Overcoming substance abuse. If you’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, you can learn alternative coping skills and identify thoughts that start a craving to drink or use drugs.
- Addressing behavioral issues in children. A child with ADD, ADHD or other behavioral concerns can benefit from behavior-focused therapy.
Benefits of Humanistic Therapy
Humanistic therapy helps you become your authentic, true self, a more holistic approach to therapy than focusing on changing negative thoughts or behaviors.
The healing process in humanistic therapy is more organic and can help with:
- Increasing your confidence. As you get a better understanding of yourself, your wants and needs and your own worth, you can become more comfortable with yourself and with speaking up to have your needs met.
- Treating depression and anxiety. Some people may benefit from a more positive, person-centered approach to managing depression or anxiety and respond better to humanistic therapy than behavioral therapy.
- Increasing your sense of self-worth. If you’ve been in an emotionally or mentally abusive relationship, you may need help to regain your sense of worth and improve how you think of yourself.
- Solving relationship issues. You can gain insight into your motivations in relationships and address some possible destructive perceptions that prevent you from finding happiness with friends, family or your partner.
Benefits of Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Therapy
Psychoanalytic therapy involves examining your conscious thoughts and determining if you have unconscious thoughts that could be driving negative actions or behavior. You and your therapist may look for trends that lead to unhealthy thoughts or behavior.
Psychodynamic therapy is similar to psychoanalysis but focuses more on your relationships and trends in your mental state. It may help you:
- Gain a better understanding of yourself. Suppose you’re struggling with self-destructive behaviors and can’t determine why you consistently make the same harmful mistakes. In that case, psychoanalysis may help you understand deep-seated reasons why you feel and behave the way you do.
- Manage depression and anxiety. Psychoanalysis helps you explore the how behind your anxiety or depression. You may have repressed trauma fueling your depressive episodes or chronic anxiety. Psychoanalytic therapy may help uncover these so you can heal.
- Improve relationship satisfaction. When you gain a better understanding of why you act the way you do, you may become more sympathetic to others in your life. Or you may gain the strength to end toxic or unhealthy relationships and seek a more supportive network.
Do You Need Therapy?
Mental Health Hotline partners with trained mental health professionals to connect people in need with confidential, supportive help in their area. You can call one of the hotlines listed on this page for help with substance abuse, diagnosing a mental illness or support during a stressful change in your life. You deserve help and health. Hope is just a phone call or text away.