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BENEFITS OF INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY PSYCHOTHERAPY


Many people find therapy to be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, and the hassles of daily life.

A number of benefits are available from participating in psychotherapy. Often it is helpful just to know that someone understands. Therapy can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn.

Psychotherapy can help you...

• Find new ways to cope with stress and anxiety -- to manage anger, depression, and other emotional pressures
• Improve communication skills -- learn how to listen to others, and have others listen to you
• Get "unstuck" from past relationships and family issues--break old patterns and develop new ways of dealing with old issues
• Heal old psychological wounds -- repair damage from the past
• Discover creative ways to problem-solve
• Improve your self-esteem and boost your self-confidence
• Increase your ability to love yourself and love others -- enrich your relationships with a greater capacity for respect, compassion, and joy

Additionally, research has shown that going to therapy to address emotional problems can result in the decrease of future medical illness. This is because unaddressed emotional and mental issues can cause long-term health issues such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, ulcers, high blood pressure, and strokes. Several studies have demonstrated that just the reduction alone in overall medical fees for health care issues during the five years after psychotherapy is more than sufficient to pay for the cost of therapy.

Therapy can also improve a person's efficiency and effectiveness at work. Mental health issues can cause people to miss work more often and be less effective and productive while at work. Gains in self-confidence and decreases in the anxiety that people experience in psychotherapy can lead to benefits, such as stronger professional relations, career promotions or the confidence to seek and move into a better long-term position.

One of the biggest tolls that emotional issues take on our lives is in the area of relationships. Problems with relationships and family issues can be draining mentally and financially. Consider the stress and medical costs of treating someone who has been physically harmed in a domestic violence quarrel, as well as the overwhelming stress and large professional fees associated with issues such as divorce and custody battles. Individual and family therapy can go a long way in averting these situations.

Therefore, the long-term benefits of therapy greatly outweigh the short-term commitment. Psychotherapy is one of the greatest investments a person can make in their future. The positive changes and benefits that counseling supports will last a lifetime.

>> Learn more about Cindy Pope, MA, LPC

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