Many people have the misconception that you should only attend therapy if you’re in crisis or going through a particularly bad time. In reality, therapy has so many other benefits and can be very useful at times when life feels pretty good.

Here are 4 unexpected ways that therapy may help:

Manage issues before they become problematic. We all have areas in our lives where we need some improvement. Talking with a therapist about areas for needed change can be helpful to explore causes, identify past barriers to change and receive well-informed suggestions. I recommend addressing these areas for improvement before they become more of an issue.

Someone to listen and lend an unbiased perspective. When something is on your mind, it can help to talk it through. A therapist can offer a fresh, unbiased perspective and will likely have a unique outlook based on their professional experience. A therapist can also help to process and think through your feelings.

Explore more deeply rooted issues that don’t come up in everyday life. Whether it’s personal insecurities, issues with family, difficulty with trust or something else, many of us have issues that we struggle with that require our thoughtful attention to work through. These issues may not come up in your daily life, but they require attention nonetheless. A skilled therapist can help point out themes and origins of these issues that you may not recognize on your own and help identify new approaches.

Maintain stability related to ongoing anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. For those who experience ongoing symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental health issues, regular maintenance of their mental health is often very important to stability. Working with a therapist can help to stay on track with symptom management, even if it’s just a check-in once a month.

Do you think that therapy may be helpful to you? Make an appointment with me today.