Properly caring for your mental health means paying attention to the habits and decisions that make up your lifestyle. You should strive to eat right, exercise, and get quality sleep, to name just a few things. But, just as with your physical health, you can’t ensure great mental health with healthy habits alone. To focus on health and wellness in a meaningful way, you need to work with professionals.
Mental health professionals such as psychiatrists and psychologists can play different roles in your mental health care plan. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medication, and should be a person you visit if you believe you are suffering from a mental health condition like depression or anxiety, or if your primary care physician refers you to one. Psychologists and therapists usually specialize in therapy rather than medication, and can also help those suffering from mental health issues. But, unlike medication, therapy can be healthy and helpful even to those of us who are not suffering from any mental illnesses or related issues.
Therapy has the power to help us understand our own thoughts and behaviors. It can give us insights into our relationships and our priorities. It can make us better at the things that matter most. And there are so many types of therapy that you are virtually sure to find a kind that works for you. Here are a few of your major options for therapy. Speak to a mental health care provider to learn more about these and other possibilities.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or “CBT” for short, is all about our thought processes and behavioral patterns. What do we think, and why? What thoughts follow from other thoughts, and what behaviors follow from what thoughts? Working with an expert in CBT, you’ll come to better understand your own ways of thinking and acting — and will develop strategies for heading off negative thoughts, responding to stressful situations, and more. CBT can help you improve your self-esteem, boost your mood, and improve your relationships with others.
Couples therapy
Being in a relationship isn’t easy. It’s sometimes hard for partners to express themselves or to work out issues between them. The process can be a little easier, though, when you have the help of a trained professional who specializes in mental health, conflict resolution, and relationships.
Couples therapy is no magic bullet, of course, but it can be incredibly effective in allowing partners to express the things that they’d have trouble expressing — or even realizing — on their own. A controlled environment and proven strategies can make a world of difference in your relationship.
Group therapy
Group therapy isn’t necessarily better or worse than meeting one-on-one with a therapist; rather, it’s different. In group therapy, you’ll meet your therapist in a group setting. The others in your group may share some of your mental health challenges. With the therapist mediating and helping the discussion move along, group members will talk to each other. Discussion topics include actions, thoughts, and challenges — many of the same things that are discussed in individual therapy sessions, explain experts who offer group therapy NYC.
A therapy group can offer powerful support as you work on your mental health needs. The group can also act as a sounding board for ideas and thoughts. The presence of the therapist keeps things controlled and safe while the group comes together to support one another.
Group therapy is just one more option, and this list is hardly exhaustive. In addition to what you see here, you’ll find options for everything from art therapy to therapies specifically tailored to mental health issues. You should speak to a mental health care provider to learn more. Embrace the opportunity to care for your mental health — choose therapy!
