Life is hard enough.
Don’t do it alone.
You’re exhausted. You’re tired of faking it. You just need space. You’re feeling stuck. And maybe a little unsure about beginning therapy. We get it. We’ve been there. We all have shit to figure out. In a world where it seems like everyone else has it “all figured out,” it’s so easy to make comparisons and begin to feel insecure about our life plans, accomplishments, identities, careers, relationships, and overall life journeys. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed becomes your normal and you begin to wonder if it’s always going to be this way. The truth is that stress is unavoidable, but there are many things you can do to reclaim your happiness and feel more like yourself again. It’s possible to take back control and make life fun again with the right support and space where you can unapologetically be your authentic self – where you can yell, scream, cry, swear, vent, share deepest secrets, whatever – without any judgment.
Therapy is a sacred space. It’s unlike anything else. It’s the one area of your life where you never have to worry about the reactions or thoughts from the person sitting across from you, because you know that person is solely committed to YOUR journey, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Therapy is the one space in your life where the focus and energy is 100% on you, your happiness, your life fulfillment, and your journey through whatever challenges you face. There’s problem-solving, deep reflections, self-understanding, skill-building, empowerment, and a thousand other little moments that can be transformative for becoming be a better version of yourself.
We want you to know that however you show up in session – however you feel, however you act, however you choose to express yourself – we’re paying attention and we care about you. We are accepting you. We’re honoring your experience. We’re listening. Sometimes we cry in therapy. Sometimes we laugh in therapy. Sometimes we say things that we wouldn’t dare to say to our family or friends. We want you to forget about the outside world and just talk to us, person to person.
Therapy can help by:
We can help you answer:
How do I know if I need therapy?
Some people feel as though they have to be experiencing a certain level of emotional distress before therapy is justified. This is a complete fallacy. We firmly believe that therapy can benefit anybody – there is nothing too small or too big to talk about. Your emotional experiences are valid and worthy of being explored and processed in a safe space with a trusted therapist. We all need someone to talk to from time to time. There is no need to have an identifiable problem or emotional issue to benefit from counseling. In fact, most people who begin therapy with us at River Oaks Psychology do not identify with having any particular mental health condition. Instead, they are seeking therapy to give themselves an opportunity to talk about whatever is on their mind without any judgment.
Sometimes the best experiences in therapy are the ones that derive from a person who seeks therapy for general processing of who they are and how they relate to the world around them. We want you to remember that therapy is controlled by you – it is your time, your space, your session, and your opportunity to use the support from your therapist in whatever way feels most helpful. Beyond general processing support, therapy can be helpful for maintaining positive mental health or to encourage the continued use of healthy coping skills.
In addition, remember that your emotional pain – however it presents – is always important and worthy of being expressed. Healing begins when you are able to feel heard, understood, and profoundly validated by someone who completely understands you. There is no need to justify your reasons for seeking therapy and there is certainly no need to diminish the validity of your pain. We urge patients to avoid comparing their problems to the problems of other people. Whether a person is drowning in an ocean or drowning in a puddle, the person is still drowning – the amount of water (the amount of problems) does not matter.
Therefore, if you are debating whether or not therapy is necessary, remember there is no need to reach a certain unhappiness threshold in order for therapy to be helpful.
Some signs that may indicate a need for counseling include:
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You matter.
You’re never alone.
We care about you.
