Posted by admin on Feb 26, 2012 in Counseling and Therapy | Comments Off on How do I know if I need therapy?
Many of us have moments when we wonder whether our thoughts and feelings are “normal” or whether we should get help.
The easiest way to answer that question is that as long as your thoughts and your feelings are to interfering with your ability to do what you want to do, to reach goals or have the quality of life you wish for yourself you may have no need for a therapist. In other words as long as you are able to adapt to the changing circumstances in your life effectively you are OK.
We all develop strategies to help us mange strong emotions in difficult circumstances, carve out time for ourselves when we undergo big changes that force us to examine the way we see ourselves, manage conflicts with people we share relationships we do not want to sever and to manage, when circumstances force us to act in ways that go against deeply help beliefs. These strategies can be viewed as adaptive or coping skills.
When the adaptive or coping behaviors you have developed, keep you stuck rather than help you move forward, then counseling might be helpful. If you find that you are either depressed or anxious much of the time it is a signal that your coping strategies are not working effectively and that you may benefit from some help in order to shift the maladaptive thoughts feelings and behaviors.
Counseling or therapy can be very helpful in teaching you new coping skills that you can use to replace the ones that are no longer helpful. Skills that will allow you chose how you want to respond to the experiences life places in your path.