World Mental Health Day 2021 | Do I need therapy? And how to get started?

Illustration by Suneesh K.

Therapy isn’t just for people with ‘mental health disorders’ or ‘intense traumatic experiences’. It is a lifestyle choice, which, in turn, may help you achieve much better quality of life. Here are some benefits of therapy to consider:

1. Overall personal development: Most of us don’t have the tools to understand ourselves thoroughly. “A lot of problems are not caused by others as much as they are by yourself,” says Deepali Godse, a Pune-based counselling psychologist and wellness coach. “Through therapy, one can learn to accept themselves as they are, channelize their energy and effort towards overall development, learn to identify and monitor any irrational thoughts and beliefs and eventually, understand others better and lessen the emotional impact of negative situations.”

Read more: Has the Indian startup ecosystem become a cauldron of mental health woes?

2. Professional development: Therapy can help one develop leadership skills, communication skills, networking and social abilities, learning, skills, etc. Godse, who has worked with corporates mentions that life coaches and industrial psychologists can help in developing skill learning and brainstorming abilities by offering valuable insights.

Read more: Who needs a life coach, and what does positive psychology have to do with post Covid career growth?

3. Navigating interpersonal relationships: While conflicts are bound to happen in any relationship, escalation leads to relationship souring eventually. Therapy can help rebuild those frayed bridges by helping one learn negotiation tactics, boundary setting, patience, anger-management, and expectation-setting. “Therapy helps one become self-aware and define beliefs and value systems - and these elements are very useful in cultivating and fostering healthy relationships,” Godse explains.

Read more: Healing Space | Are we speaking different languages or what?

4. Developing healthy parenting techniques: “Parenting these days is just beyond teaching skills and passing on knowledge, it is more about helping the child develop emotionally and teach them life skills - something Google or technology cannot do. But to be able to do so, parents need to understand their own emotions and then the child’s,” Godse says. Parenting classes or coaches can help one nurture the child’s emotions, steer the child towards emotional strength and also help one understand the child better.

Read more: Healing Space | Our children are struggling

5. Attitudinal changes: We all suffer setbacks from time to time. However, at times, major roadblocks and setbacks can hamper growth and development, and eventually lead to mental health problems such as anxiety, stress or depression. Often, these conditions go undiagnosed for a long time. Godse explains that therapy can help with attitudinal changes, helping one maintain a positive mind frame, develop resilience, and use timeline concepts to be free from the past and create a new future.

How to choose a therapist?

Basis your needs and identified areas of development, keep the following factors in mind while choosing a therapist:

1. Look for reliable referrals: While selecting a therapist online is okay, a referral from a reliable source is much better, as there is a level of trust before you do the first session.

2. Check the qualifications: Ask to see the therapist's certifications and about therapeutic techniques they use. Also ask them how long they have been practising.

3. Check for professional honesty: An example would be if they refer patients to other professionals when they’re not trained to handle the problem. Also ask them if they have dealt with issues/cases similar to yours.

4. Ask yourself: Do I feel reasonably okay with this person? (Being too comfortable is also a problem because it shouldn’t feel like just chit-chat. Both should be moving towards a goal.) Does he or she really care about how I feel?  Is the therapist listening to me?