Does Therapy Really Work?

Maybe you’re thinking about starting counselling of psychotherapy and are wondering, ‘does therapy really work?’  It’s impossible to say whether therapy will work for everyone, but there are some things that you can consider in order to answer whether therapy is likely to help you…

  1. Do I Need Therapy?

    Therapy is best used when you are facing particular problems that you want to address.  Sometimes people seek help when these problems have reached their wost point, because they are struggling to cope.  At other times people might not be actively experiencing problems, but might be aware of underlying vulnerabilities they might have to problems either occurring or reoccurring in the future. Try and ask yourself, ‘what is it that I want therapy to help me achieve?’
  2.  How Can I Use Therapy?

    It’s important to consider if you are able to try and make use of therapy at this point in time.  Very practical Talking Therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, that we offer, require a commitment and work from both you and your Therapist to make Therapy effective.  It’s worth thinking if you currently have the time, support and determination to give treatment a try.
  3. What Is The Best Therapy For Me?

    Check out what therapies are available to you, and whether those therapies have rigorously tested and shown to be helpful for the problems that you want to work on.  A good place to start can be asking your GP, or checking out clinical recommendations in the ‘National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’ (NICE) Guidelines.

  4. Does My Therapist Have The Skills And Experience To Help Me?

    Take a look at our quick guide to choosing the right therapist, to help you understand if a therapist has the right skills to help you.

  5. How Do I Get The Most From My Therapy Sessions?

    Being open about your problems will help your Therapist to understand what you are experiencing and offer appropriate treatment to you.  If you are not noticing the progress that you are hoping for then it is important to talk about this with your therapist.  This should then give you both the opportunity to explore in more detail and barriers to progress and to re-evaluate if you are targeting the most relevant parts of your problems.

Whilst therapy can’t offer any particular promises for outcome, a suitably qualified and experienced Therapist can offer you the guarantee of trying their best to understand key issues and to offer you the most appropriate tools that you can use to get closer to your goals.

If you would like to see one of our team of Therapists, why not get in touch and see how we can help you?