When should
you see a
therapist?
The question of when to seek therapy can oftentimes feel overwhelming or complicated. However, it is not as complicated as it may seem. Therapy can benefit most people across a wide range of problems. These can range from mental health conditions to relationship issues and career challenges.
One of the first questions to ask yourself when deciding to seek therapy is whether your quality of life is what you want it to be. If it is not, then chances are you could benefit from therapy to work through it. A second, and perhaps even simpler question to ask is if you feel like you should seek therapy. If it’s occurred to you that you may need help or would benefit from talking to a therapist, then it is a good time to listen to your instincts and do it.
Therapy is traditionally sought to help work through mental health challenges. India has one of the highest prevalences of mental illnesses globally. National Mental Health Survey 2016 found that close to 14% of India’s population required active mental health interventions. For those experiencing these challenges, therapy is one of the most effective ways of getting your life back on track.
However, there are a host of other life circumstances where people can benefit from seeking therapy. Among these are financial stress, grief over a painful death, or relationship troubles with a spouse or loved one. Losing a job or starting a new job can oftentimes cause stress or questioning, and therapy can be a way to find answers.
If you think you might benefit from therapy, maybe you should give it a shot!
What's the difference between a coach and a counselor?
The difference between coaching and counselling is that coaching is a process in which a coach helps a person achieve a particular personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance, whereas counselling is a process in which a counsellor helps a person resolve psychological or personal issues.
Coaching assists you in establishing and achieving objectives, whereas counselling assists you in recognizing and resolving life issues. Moreover, while counselling focuses primarily on the present and the past, coaching focuses solely on the future and present.
Coaches are not medical or healthcare professionals. They don’t have the credentials or accreditation to provide mental healthcare. They focus on how to reach a goal. They're oriented towards action and results.
Counsellors are trained in human development, family dynamics, sexuality, and mental health issues, while coaches are trained in assisting clients in making life progress.
The purpose of counselling is to help clients improve their mental health and function. The focus of sessions is often on the past by family of origin issues, past trauma, or what has happened before that is negatively impacting a client’s current well-being. The goal is to improve a client’s mood, stability, and function. Function refers to their ability to work, care for themselves, and manage the business of their lives.
An “emotional healing” approach is the foundation of counselling. The ultimate goal of counselling is to alleviate past suffering and enhance emotional states, and as a result, make it possible for someone to improve their quality of life, emotional health, relationships and overall functioning.
A counsellor assists a client in gaining a new perspective, identifying patterns and processing past pain or grief. They offer guidance and support to provide a path to healing as part of this process. Your counsellor will assist you in finding peace with both your life and yourself.
What's the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
The diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders are the primary focuses of psychiatry. A Psychiatrist is someone who specializes in clinical mental health, including substance use disorders.
A psychologist is a mental health professional who helps people learn how to better cope with life, relationship issues, and mental health conditions by using psychological evaluations and talk therapy.
Psychologists and psychiatrists both have the training to identify mental health challenges, both clinical and non-clinical.
Medications cannot be prescribed by psychologists. Instead, they carefully observe and counsel their patients before implementing talk therapies and exercises that are best suited for non-clinical conditions or clinical conditions with a mild diagnosis that does not require psychopharmaceutical intervention.
A psychologist can help patients address patterns of behavior that may be harmful to their well-being. Someone can visit a psychologist first to understand the nature and intensity of their mental health challenges and then be further referred to a psychiatrist to assess if medication is needed.
When a person is suffering from severe mental illness, it is best to consult a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist will be able to identify the problem and recommend the most effective medications for managing the patient's mental state.
However, even in cases where medication is needed, a client is advised to continue talk therapy with their psychologist parallel to the pharmaceutical interventions prescribed by their psychiatrist.
​
There are numerous situations in which seeing both a psychologist and a psychiatrist can be helpful. When it comes to diagnosing and treating mental illness, the two typically collaborate.