Therapy means different things to different people. For some, they’ll never understand the purpose or need for therapy. Others want desperately to seek therapy but are worried about what others may think or say. We need to get away from that mindset. If you break your arm, a good friend, really any person, will tell you to go to the hospital. Why then, during life’s tougheset moments do people, even well meaning friends, think that therapy won’t be that helpul?
Therapy Success Stories
Why don’t we hear more about therapy success stories? Is it still because people don’t want to talk about it, or is that, even if we know a friend is seeking therapy, we don’t give it the credit it deserves? Here are a few glimpses into what therarpy success stories look like.
Navigating Post Partum Depression
If you are a woman (likely a man too), you probably know someone who experienced post partum depression. If could have been your wife, sister, family friend, or co-worker. Maybe you didn’t even reazlie she was working through this. However, she was struggling severely. In this case, she had a very supportive spouse who encourage her to seek out therapy. Having space to talk with someone and just express the many emotions she experienced was extremely helpful. Even with supportive spouse, therapy was a cornerstone for her healing. She can enjoy being a mother and accept that some things are difficult. She has learned to ask for help, and she knows that is a sign of strength and not weakness.
Grief Therapy After the Loss of a Loved One
When someone is struggling with grief (insert link) their family and friends will provide support. They will bring meals, plan outings, and be available for phone calls or visits, for a time. However, maybe they need more. Grief therapy allows them to continue to process and express their emotions for as long as they need. Maybe longer than their families and friends can provide genuine support. Grief therapy can help prevent resentment towards those who’s life hasn’t been unpended by loss. If can encourage them to try new things, without discounting their sadness or feeling like they need to move on before they are ready. Therpary has allowed them to process grief at their own pace while having the energy and ability to maintin their relationships.
Supporting Service Members Through Therapy
Perhaps a service member comes home from a particularly difficult deployment. There’s little time to process their experience. Training and duties continue on at a constant rate. Therapy allows them to be vulnterable and express how they feel which is extremely important if they don’t think they can be that open with colleagues or family members. Therapy allows them to let go of some of the weight they carry, if even temporarily. This can mean a more grounded family life and can open up communication between the service member and their spouse, or children. It may even encourage them to consider marriage or family therapy to coming working on their relationships. Therapy has built up a strong family unit who will have the resilience to face another deployment head-on.
Therapy Success Stories Are All Around Us
The faces of individuals seeking therapy are a mix of all ages, genders, and ethnicities. Their reasons for seeking help are equally as diverse. They are our friends, parents, neighbors, co-workers, children, and spouses. They may be forthcoming with their therapy journey, or they may seek out help unbeknownst to even their closest friends.
More often than not, people do not “magically” get better, heal, or get over tough moments in life. Therapy is a tool to treat these moments that we can’t quite get past on our own. Tools were created to help us get through difficult times with assistance. We use tools in all aspects of our lives to make hard things easier, not make them disappear. People often forget that therapy is an amazing tool to navigate life’s toughest moments. If you’re ready to be a therapy success story, please reach out to one of our licensed therapists.
