Talking Therapy is one of the main treatments for mental health conditions. Therapy can help treat multiple mental health conditions, and is often the most effective treatment that there is.

In this article, we take a look at 10 ways that talking therapy can help a patient. There are many benefits that a person can derive from therapy, with the aim for total remission from symptoms.

Many people find that talking therapy helps enormously

Therapy offers a safe environment

Therapy offers a safe environment for a person to discuss their troubles. During therapy, a trained counsellor of therapist will listen to the patient and help to find answers to problems.

They will give the patient time to talk, cry, shout or just think. They will be understanding throughout. This creates an environment where the patient is happy to share their issues.

Therapy can help with several areas

Therapy is best associated with helping to treat mental health conditions. However, things like anger, life transitions and relationship problems are all other areas that therapy can help with.

Typical mental health conditions that benefit from therapy include Depression, Anxiety, trauma-related conditions like Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Eating Disorders and Somatic Disorders among others.

The therapist will be non-judgemental

A common fear of therapy is that the patient believes the therapist will judge them and their actions. However, this is far from the truth. Therapists are trained in a way that ensures they will be non-judgemental throughout.

They will show you respect and allow you to talk about anything you want to. Whatever it is that you share, they will still look to help you and make relevant suggestions.

Insight and coping skills

Therapy gives the patient an insight into the condition or problem they are suffering from. By getting more knowledge of their condition and symptoms, it can certainly help the patient.

As part of the insight, coping skills can also be taught for each condition or problem. This provides some protection against relapse, and gives strong long-term skills.

Therapy shows that all problems are serious

It is human nature to think that your problems aren’t serious! But the truth is that any issue that is causing problems in your mental health is serious enough to have therapy.

After all, no problem is small enough, and everything will be dealt with properly. Therapy shows that a person shouldn’t think of their problems as being inferior or trivial, instead, they deserve respect.

woman sitting on gray rock near body of water
Many problems can be treated with talking therapy

Therapy shows that problems aren’t simple

Building on the above, therapy also shows that problems aren’t simple. It is very difficult when someone is trying to get over a particular event, but those around them tell them they need to get over their issue and get on with life.

After all, everyone reacts in different ways to certain events. The therapist realises this, and knows that no problem is simple. They will work with the individual to try and get through the problem.

The patient won’t hear unhelpful sayings

As part of the stigma attached to mental health, those who have spoken about their problems in the past will have probably become accustomed to hearing things like “isn’t it time to move on”, “I know how you feel” and “it’s going to be okay”.

Whilst some of these sayings will be true, they aren’t particularly helpful, and risk belittling the issues a person faces. Therefore, therapy won’t involve any language that would be deemed unhelpful, and the root of problems will actually be analysed.

The therapist will be impartial

If a person has been having relationship troubles, or other difficulties in their life, the therapist won’t take sides – they will be impartial. If you try telling a friend about an issue, they will practically always take your side.

But a therapist can show a person what might have happened from the other perspective. This can be enlightening, and can get rid of the harmful belief that the patient is always right. The therapist will try and maintain impartiality.

Therapists are bound to secrecy

A patient will normally speak to a therapist about an issue that has been troubling them, or past events. They may be worried that the therapist will go and share some of their problems with others.

However, therapists are bound by a strict code of ethics and conduct that dictates they cannot share any details of what is discussed with anyone. The only exceptions to this is if the therapist believes the patient is in danger, or if they need to share details with their supervisor.

Therapy is a one-way street

Therapy offers a situation that is rather unique in life – it is all about one person. In a conversation, it’d seem rude if one party was doing all of the talking whilst neglecting others.

But therapy is the opposite of this. A patient will only talk about themselves, which is a great way of getting things off of their chest. It also ensures that time is maximised, and allows the patient to get the most out of the sessions.

Summary

This article shows the broad range of benefits that a patient may enjoy from talking therapy. While not everyone will find talking therapy helps, the majority of people find at least some benefit.

There are a range of different types of talking therapy, and selecting the right type of therapy can be difficult. Regardless of the type of therapy being used, most people will see their symptoms greatly improve.

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If you are struggling with your mental health, help is available. With the right support and treatment, you can make a recovery. For information on helplines, or if you are in a state of crisis, please visit our crisis page by clicking on the relevant link for your geographical location (United Kingdom), (United States), (International). You can also see how to get mental health treatment and the process involved by clicking this link.

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