“And If You Don’t Know, Now You Know!” Part I: What is therapy?

“And if you don’t know, now you know…” The Notorious B.I.G., Juicy

I’m kicking off this year with the first post of my “If You Don’t Know, Now You Know” series.  Inspired by Biggie’s line from the song Juicy, the purpose of this series is to provide education regarding therapy and mental health.

With today’s post I want to address the question “What is therapy?”  Therapy is more accessible than ever before thanks to the advent of telehealth, but what exactly is it? 

In short, therapy is a collaborative process between a licensed professional and client, during which the two parties work together to address mental health, emotional health, and/or behavioral health issues that brought the client to therapy.  You and your therapist will talk through the reasons you sought therapy, identify goals for therapy, and then work toward achieving those goals.  Therapy work is done both in session as you talk with your therapist and in-between sessions as you practice what you’re learning.

Some characteristics which make therapy unique from other helping relationships, and which I’ll flesh out in future posts, include:

-Therapy is Person Centered:  The same treatment program will not work for everyone – therapy is tailored to your strengths and needs.

-Therapy is Goal Oriented:  And if you don’t know what those goals are, that’s okay – your therapist can help you narrow in on them.

-Therapy is Collaborative:  You and your therapist will work together – therapy isn’t a quick fix and your therapist won’t just tell you what to do

-Therapy is Ethical and Professional:  A therapist is a professional licensed by the state in which they practice.  This license is representative of expertise and competency in providing therapy.

Let me know in the comments if there are any questions about therapy that you’d like me to address in the future!