Swell Counseling

If you read my previous blog, you’ll know that I addressed some of the stereotypes and myths around why people go to therapy. Here we will address what to look for in yourself or others to know if therapy is necessary or not.

Therapy is absolutely necessary if you are experiencing sadness, anxiety, stress, or panic most days of the week. Each of these look different for everyone with the level of severity and different symptoms we may experience in our bodies. If you are experiencing any of these feelings it is ok. It is important to check in with yourself and how you are feeling daily.

Here is a list of things you may identify with or experience that would qualify you for therapy:

–Anxiety: Feelings of constant worry, fears of the future, thinking about something repeatedly

-Depression: daily sadness, irritability, being tearful most days, no motivation to do things you enjoy, poor hygiene, self-harming behaviors, thoughts of suicide Passive:(ex: “no one would notice or care if I wasn’t here anymore”), active: having a plan and intent for taking your own life

-Grief: experiencing the loss of someone close to you, feelings of sadness, missing your loved one, feelings of anger about losing them, end of relationship

–Stress with work or school: experiencing burnout with work, trying to find a new job, needing to learn how to manage time more effectively

–Life transitions: moving to a new city, moving schools, new relationships, coming home from the mission field, broken relationships

-Trauma: Abuse (sexual, physical, emotional/verbal) as a child and/or adult, physical trauma that could have caused injuries or loss of other people, witnessing the passing of someone, experiencing bullying

There are a lot of different reasons people need therapy, which is why there are so many different therapists that specialize in specific things.