Should I Go to Therapy?
Published March 7th, 2024
4 min read
Here are some reasons why you might want to try therapy, as well as how to get started.
Written by Simon Spichak
Until very recently, going to therapy was highly stigmatized — Going to therapy meant that there was something wrong with you or even worse, that you were mentally unstable. But today, a lot of the stigma has dissipated and some 15 percent of Canadians regularly see a mental health professional to help treat symptoms of mental illness, manage their stress, or live a more fulfilling life.
Everyone struggles with their mental health
Whether or not you’re dealing with a mental illness, you may benefit from going to therapy.
About one in seven Canadians reported that they needed mental health support, according to a Stats Canada survey from 2018. Some of these individuals might have a mental illness, but others may have been going through a rough patch in their lives. They may have been going through important career or life transitions and required extra support.
The benefits of therapy
Therapy can help people work to change their behaviours, beliefs, and feelings. Some people can also go to a therapist to learn how to regulate their emotions, manage their relationships, or reduce their stress.
Some of the benefits of therapy include:
Easing symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress or other mental health conditions over the course of a few months
Gaining a better understanding of yourself and your values
Improving your self-esteem
Helping you improve relationships with friends, family, and other loved ones
Having your feelings and emotions validated and heard
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) can teach you skills to help regulate your emotions, improve executive function, and manage intrusive thoughts in a health way
Teaching you important organization and time management skills that can help you perform better at school or work
Exposure and response prevention therapy can help you manage the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder
Reasons that people decide to go to therapy
People seek therapy to help them deal with important life events and other stressors. Some of these events and stressors include:
Trauma
Career transitions
Divorce
LGBTQ+ identity and related transitions
Mental illness
Loneliness or social withdrawal
A desire to improve oneself
Problems concentrating at school or work
Getting started with therapy
If you’re interested in starting therapy, there are a few important things you should consider first.
What kind of mental health professional do I need?
There are different kinds of mental health professionals — psychotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists — that play slightly different roles.
While all of these professionals can help you with therapy, only psychiatrists can prescribe medication. Psychologists and psychiatrists can both formally diagnose a mental illness. While psychotherapists are experts in providing therapy, and are often less expensive than psychologists.
Am I covered by insurance?
Only psychiatrists are covered by provincial health plans. However, many students in Ontario receive coverage for psychologists and psychotherapists through their college’s or university’s health insurance plan.
(You can check if you’re covered here.)
How Resolvve can help
Resolvve offers quick, affordable access to experienced therapists that can help students with school stress as well as their mental health. Our therapists start at $100 per session. We are also able to facilitate speedy referrals to psychiatrists through our partnership with Psychotherapy Matters.
You can book a free 15-minute consultation to see how we can help here.
Please note that this post is written for educational purposes; it is not therapy. If you need to talk to a professional, please book a consultation with a psychotherapist through Resolvve.
