Paying Through Insurance

The world has gotten smaller due to social media, as everything is instantly visible to all.

A few years ago, we just had our neighbors to compare with and were oblivious of the rest of the world. Now everyone is accessible and comparisons are rife.

We have the smartphones that we carry with us 24/7, always able to catch what other people are up to and feel envious about it.

Even if we use logic and intellect to tell ourselves that the images that we see on social media may not be real or factual, as they can be edited/filtered, they still affect us on an emotional level.

You will need to feel safe and secure and establish a connection with your therapist. It is reasonable to try out a few until you find the right one.

The right therapist will encourage and support you in making uncomfortable changes.

Ask your community for mental health specialists recommendations. Consider asking your GP, family, friends or local community.

Once you have a few names, look up their qualifications and read up about them.

Finding a suitable therapist, right for both the partners can take time. Take into consideration:

• Both partners are comfortable with the choice.
• Any preferences (gender or cultural background) are taken into account.
• It should be convenient to schedule an appointment with him, not interfering with other commitments too much.
• At least two kinds of counselors are spoken to, and then a decision taken.
• Check online for recommendations or ask for a referral within your friend circle.

A good therapist can utilize multiple approaches and will tailor the provided therapy based on the couple's needs. The common therapies are:

• Gottman Method: Focused on positive communication
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): helps couples with their emotional needs.
• Imago Relationship Therapy: Connecting new relationships with old ones.
• Other approaches like Hypnosis, sex therapy, etc.

Most mental health professionals treat mental illness by combining psychotherapy and medication or by therapy alone. Many clients choose the latter when they don’t need medication or think of it as burdensome. 

Untrained people can’t offer the same mental health benefits as a mental health professional could.

Your mental health is too big a responsibility to place on the people in your life. They will be there for you during hard times, but shouldn’t be a substitute for therapy.

Misconceptions may make it hard for you to pinpoint the threshold for significant psychological distress in yourself or others. And can add hurdles to successfully initiating psychotherapy or being willing to stick with it.

Understanding what not to expect from the experience can help you approach treatment as an educated consumer with an open mind.

Some approaches take more time than others, but it is highly unlikely that lasting change for longstanding issues can be achieved in a few sessions of psychotherapy.

The first appointments are to determine if (and what kind of) therapy can be helpful. You will talk about what led you to seek care and about medical, social, and family history to help the therapist get to know you better.

Many people believe therapy is something you need when you are not satisfied, happy or content with life.

Mental illnesses go far beyond being happy or sad, and many people that don't think they need therapy may, in fact, be in acute need of it.

• It’s a myth that mental health and happiness mean the same thing.
• Happiness is just another emotional state, like sadness.
• Depression is portrayed as not being happy, which is untrue.
• The pill-popping generations label anti-depressant pills as Happy Pills, which is also misleading.

Most therapists are encouraging and emphatic, and some therapy models emphasize this warm support more than others. But not all therapy works this way, therapists also have to challenge and educate clients.

There are many other areas of expertise that require less effort and are more financially rewarding than therapy. Therapists who thrive in this work deeply respect humanity and aren’t driven by money.

The body is an orchestra of organs, each providing an essential function. In this metaphor, the circadian rhythm is the conductor. The conductor makes every neurotransmitter, every hormone, and every chemical in the body cycle with the daily rhythm.

This makes us our sleep habits unique and tailored.

Being a morning (or evening) person is inborn, genetic, and very hard to change.

• Some therapists are just there to listen and provide a backdrop.
• Even the silence that they exhibit seems to kindle the patients into divulging more of their most uncomfortable truths.
• Others keep the sequence of assignments and tests lined up, never pausing.
• Therapists play varied roles to get some valuable information out of the patient and make him better.

No particular form of therapy is proven to be better or more effective than others.

Different people prefer or respond to different forms of therapy.

If someone, for instance, has received a new medical diagnosis, you can say, "It sounds like you're worried about the side effects of the treatment. Is that right?"

You can also express kindness by saying, “You’re in such a tough situation.” A facial expression is also a powerful way to show support.

Not every person feels comforted in the same way. Acknowledge that by asking "How can I support you?"

It expresses a desire to assist without jumping in to problem-solve.