Individual, Couple, Family & Group Therapy
Kathy Reedy, MSW - Crestview Hills Family Counseling Center
  Articles by Kathy
Is It Possible You Could Benefit?
Written by Kathy Reedy

Many people believe a therapist only intervenes in a crisis or only treats a diagnosed mental illness. However, both assumptions are false. As a clinical social worker practicing for over fourteen years, it is my experience that many people do not realize help is available. Getting professional help early on in a problematic situation can prevent the circumstances from escalating unnecessarily. People often postpone seeking professional help hoping that time alone will bring about a resolution.

Most people do not know what therapy is and what it is a therapist does. Therapy is talking to a therapist who is there to listen and guide you on your journey toward an effective resolution of the problem or concern that brings you to their office. Some obstacles to seeking professional help are fear of naming the problem and shame in admitting you may need help. Therapy is feared because people tend to think you have to be sick or may be mentally ill to seek treatment. This is a common misconception and one of the many. Recognizing that you need help and then seeking the help you need are signs of strength and not weakness. Early intervention can prevent years of pain, guilt, anger, and depression. Therapy offers an opportunity to explore your feelings and grow emotionally. What you may gain is an ability to make better decisions and healthier choices in your life.

There are many reasons to seek the assistance of a therapist. Are you concerned about a problem in your marriage, family, or work? The earlier the intervention in marital problems around communication, financial, parenting, and sexual issues, the less suffering you are prone to incur. Obtaining a therapy consultation early in a problem may prevent long term emotional damage to yourself or to a relationship. It is sad when people seek therapy only after suffering many years of pain and heartache.

Have you ever been told by a loved one, friend, or employer that you have an alcohol or drug problem? Have you ever thought you had an alcohol or drug problem? Do you have a family history of alcohol or other drug use? Do you know anxiety and depression are common problems and can lead to life long difficulties in personal and work relationships? You do not have to be the person with alcoholism to be affected. If you are living with an alcoholic you are being affected in ways that are probably not obvious.

Do you have problems communicating your feelings effectively to the people who are most important to you? Do you keep running into familiar old patterns no matter where you find yourself? Do you have problems at work with peers or authority figures? Do you have problems in relationships? Do you keep finding yourself attracted to people who cannot give you what you want or are looking for in a relationship? Do you encounter the same old arguments with your spouse, children, or boss?

Have you ever thought you were eating for reasons besides physical hunger? Could you be eating to fill an emotional void or to stuff unwanted or painful feelings? Have you been depressed enough to consider suicide or harming yourself in some other way? Do you drive recklessly or under the influence of alcohol or other drugs? Are you involved in compulsive spending, shopping, gambling, or shoplifting? Have you grown up in a family where secrets are kept? For example, does or has your family hidden a pregnancy before marriage, a death or suicide, alcohol or drug problems, depression or anxiety, separation or divorce, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.

These are the kinds of issues that can lead to long term psychological problems. You cannot change the past, however, by seeking therapy you can prevent the long term detrimental effects of many problems addressed. Not talking about an issue that is bothering you is a guarantee it will accumulate and begin to drain more and more of your time and energy.

Psychotherapy provides an opportunity to change, alter, or modify feelings, attitudes, and behavior you find recurring and problematic. Essentially, therapy is a process of learning more about yourself. It requires an honest sharing of thoughts and feelings about yourself and about the important people in your life.

Simply put psychotherapy is talking to the therapist about what is on your mind. There is nothing magic about the process. Many people do not realize how valuable it is to be able to talk openly and freely with a therapist. It gives you an opportunity to listen to your inner self and decide what it is you want and need in life. In a subsequent article I will address guidelines for how to go about finding a therapist.



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