Personally, I was never really well-versed on therapeutic and emotional regulation interventions before I studied psychology in college. There is still a negative connotation associated with therapy and this is why a lot of people do not believe that therapy can actually be a very beneficial treatment option for people who need it. Not enough people are educated on the different kinds of therapies offered and so many people do not receive therapeutic treatment or they are turned off by the negative stigma attached to it.
I wish that I was more open and more courageous to have gone to therapy while dealing with my anxiety struggles, but I made the choice of dealing with it on my own even though I knew I could get professional help. I think part of the reason that I never went to a therapist to speak about my inner conflicts was because even knowing that I was a psychology major, my family and friends were very judgemental about the mental health field and did not really believe that mental health disorders were a very real thing. I think a lot of people may have struggled with my concerns, because even if they wanted to receive treatment from a therapist, they might have been led to believe that this was wrong or that this would not help them at all. There needs to be more awareness raised on just how effective therapeutic and emotional regulation interventions can be so more people do not have to just be victims of their own mental health disorders and get better.
The very interesting thing about therapy is that there are so many different kinds of therapeutic treatments. So if something does not work for someone or they do not get better, there are always more options that they can continue to pursue. The variety and diversity available with psychiatric and therapeutic treatments is incredibly vast, which is crucial because at the end of the day everyone is different and a variety of treatment approaches can be used depending on the situation. Just to name a few, for instance, therapy ranges from Counseling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Psychotherapy, Family therapy, Relationship Counseling, as well as Group therapy.
Another factor that comes into play with therapy is that those who want to go to it and receive treatment sometimes don’t have that many options accessible to them. However, since many teenagers and young adults, of course, attend school, then a lot of the time there are options available for them there. For instance, in high school, there are usually counsellors available to help students, and the best part is that they are free and easily accessible in the school. In college, as in my case, there are many counsellors available for students as needed and most of the time they are free and so all a student needs to do is make an appointment with them or even check out walk-in hours as needed.
Therapy is such an important tool, especially for those who suffer with mental health disorders such as anxiety and panic attacks. For some people, it might work amazingly well and be extremely effective, and maybe for others not so well and you’ll need to try a few other therapists or approaches. Just because it doesn’t work on the first time does not mean that it shouldn’t always be a viable option. Most of all, people should not be afraid to seek professional help, it is a normal, natural part of healthcare and healing and it does work.
To learn more about one of the most popular, evidence-based therapies, see this video on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy by the Beck Institute:
By: Fatima Shaban, Anxiety In Teens Contributor