How Can I Help?

Millions of Americans have found help changing some aspect of their life through therapy, also known as counseling. Therapy involves talking with a trained mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or psychotherapist, known as a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) such as myself. Therapy can help people having difficulty in life, those who wish to make some kind of change in their personal or professional life, or people suffering from depression, anxiety or other serious mental health problems. The professional helps people gain insight into their feelings, change behaviors, resolve problems or learn how to deal with feelings like stress, grief, loss, fear and sadness. Therapy is sometimes combined with homework assignments between sessions. Therapy can be held in one-on-one sessions, family or couple sessions, in a group led by a trained counselor, on the phone, via e-mail, or online.

How Can Therapy Help You?

From time to time, we all experience situations where we can benefit from a trained professional. Therapy is helpful with significant life changes, decisions that need to be made and difficulties at home or work.

Therapy is also helpful for serious problems that interfere with day-to-day life, such as physical or mental illness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one-third of adults in the United States have an emotional or substance abuse problem for which they need help. Also, nearly 25 percent of the adult population suffers at some point from depression or anxiety. Therapy can help depression, anxiety disorders and other emotional difficulties, either alone or in combination with medication.

The National Mental Health Association suggests therapy for people when:

• They feel an overwhelming and prolonged sense of sadness and helplessness, and they lack hope in their lives.
• Their emotional difficulties make it hard for them to function from day to day. For example, they are unable to concentrate on assignments and their job performance suffers as a result.
• Their actions are harmful to themselves or to others. For instance, they drink too much alcohol and become overly aggressive.
• They are troubled by emotional difficulties facing family members or close friends.
• They are having problems with interpersonal relationships. Talk therapy brings concrete results for many people. Research shows emotional and physical health are closely linked and that therapy can improve a person's overall health.

Therapy can effectively decrease depression and anxiety, and related symptoms such as pain, fatigue and nausea. More than 80 percent of people with depressive disorders improve when they receive appropriate treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Therapy has also been found to increase survival time for heart surgery and cancer patients, and it can have a positive effect on the body's immune system.

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