When Should You See a Therapist?

There are several different approaches to take when deciding whether or not it is beneficial for you to start therapy. When thinking about your situation, you must first decide if this is for just you, you and your partner, or you and your family.

My recommended rule of thumb is that if the therapy would include you and additional people, then it is best to start therapy early. One of the main issues we see in the counseling field is (especially) couples coming to therapy when their relationship is in full-blown crisis mode. That is an important time to come, for obvious reasons, however, a majority of those relationships fail because it’s too late. It’s like showing up to the hospital when your cancer is at a stage 4 and you are terminal (though, not as dramatic with couples, you guys still have a chance!). 

I recommend doing preventative work with therapists when it comes to being in a partnership. If you and your partner get stuck in the same cycle of repeating the same issue over and over and it is beginning to cause friction in the relationship, then it is best to start therapy THEN. Learn the skills now, so you don’t reach a crisis point.

When it comes to you and your family, the same can be true. Although I rarely (possibly never) have seen this happen, coming into therapy to work through familial issues early on is a great way to build relationship skills, talk things through, and not get to the point of no return.

Which leads me to the final one… You as an individual. If you are considering to go to therapy just for you, you should go. Right now. No need to convince yourself. If you are reading this because you are questioning if you should go, the answer is a big HELL YES. 

Why? Because therapy is the healthy exercising of the brain. If there is something you feel you want to discuss or just need someone to brainstorm with, therapy is for you. This doesn’t mean you’ll be in therapy for the next 5 years, it could mean only going for 6 months or less. Regardless, self-improvement is always a positive.

Check out my article 4 Easy Ways to Find a Therapist Near You to figure out how to find your therapist!