Your therapist (also known as a counselor) is a licensed mental health professional. They can be licensed as a psychologist, marriage and family therapist, counselor, social worker, psychiatrist, or nurse.
Some people go to therapy (also called psychotherapy and counseling) to address long-term issues they’ve lived with for much of their lives, such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.
For others, the needs are more immediate: Stress at home or in the workplace, difficulties dealing with the important people in their lives, life transitions like breaking off a long-term relationship or losing a job, coping with a cancer diagnosis, or the feelings of grief and loss that come with losing a family member.
Whether you’re struggling with a long-term issue or a short-term concern, it’s important for you to recognize that your mental health is just as important as your physical health.
You should also realize that mental health conditions and illnesses are more common than most people think. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 5 adults will experience a mental illness in the United States in any given year.
Therapy is a great tool to help you improve your mental health and well-being and become the best version of yourself.
There are many different types of therapy that can lead to a variety of changes, from behavioral therapy to learning coping skills to relationship therapy and many others.