When we talk about the benefits of psychotherapy and investing in it, especially as a woman, we’re talking about more than money; it also calls for a considerable emotional and mental investment, not to mention the time spent in sessions. Psychotherapy is a worthy investment, in addition to all of this time and energy.
Why?
The most straightforward answer is that your mental health is worth it! The time spent in session and developing your inner peace will contribute to greater satisfaction in all aspects of your life. As a woman, navigating through a patriarchal society can often lead to stress, anxiety, and feelings of inadequacy. Psychotherapy can help you work through these challenges and build resilience in the face of societal pressures.
But beyond the personal benefits, investing in psychotherapy also has broader societal impacts. By prioritizing our mental well-being and seeking support when needed, we break down stigmas surrounding mental health and pave the way for others to do the same. As women, it’s crucial to prioritize our needs and not feel guilty about caring for ourselves.
Five Benefits of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is an investment in yourself, and it’s one worth making, especially considering its proven benefits. Regardless of your struggle—whether it’s a hectic work week and the stress is overwhelming or if you’re recovering from significant trauma—the benefits of therapy are just as diverse; here are five of the benefits of psychotherapy that I hear most often from my female clients.
#1 Benefits of Therapy–Emotional Relief
For all the emotional work you put into therapy, you will experience emotional relief as a result. These effects can be both immediate and long-lasting. Immediate benefits can come from the comfort of simply unloading the emotional burden to an unbiased person who has your best interest at heart. Long-lasting benefits of emotional relief include increased self-awareness, more validation, and reduced emotional symptoms.
Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful parts of us. –David Richo, PhD
Anxiety, sadness, anger, frustration, and feelings of worthlessness can all be addressed during therapy sessions. Therapy also brings a sense of liberation. Many clients share that this is the first time in their lives that it feels like “someone gets them and has got them.” With the coping mechanisms you learn from me as your therapist, you can better manage your negative self-talk and treat yourself with compassion.
And all of this emotional healing can lead to a more positive lifestyle. Sounds great, right?
#2 Benefits of Therapy–Accomplishing Your Goals
Working with me as your therapist can help you grow in various ways, including career growth, better self-care, better home and family relations, and a more prosperous relationship with your Higher Power/God/Source/Spirit/One.
This growth can come from strategic or nuanced development. Every client and I outline their unique and specific goals to be addressed during psychotherapy, goals such as:
- Improving relationships with someone in your family.
- Changing a detrimental habit, like smoking or drinking.
- Managing issues in the workplace.
- Find ways you can level up your role at work.
- Improving communication with your partner.
We can put achievable and actionable mini-goals together when you set specific goals like these. I love the playful work of SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy), and she uses the word micro-movements to describe the super small movements that add up!
What I love about micro-movements is that you can give yourself credit—for those who like to cross things off to-do lists—for thinking about working on a goal—yep, it all counts! Accomplishing smaller goals helps you build up to the larger goals and actualize them. So, don’t be discouraged if your goal seems overwhelming at first. Break it down into smaller steps and celebrate each micro-movement towards achieving it.
We understand the importance of setting goals and sustainably working towards them. Many people struggle with changing detrimental habits, such as smoking or drinking. It can feel daunting to try to break these patterns, but with micro-movements, you can make progress one small step at a time.
Another area where micro-movements can be helpful is managing workplace issues. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a large project or difficult co-worker, focus on making small daily improvements. This helps you make progress, reduces stress, and increases stamina.
Some more subtle forms of growth include:
- Validating your trauma.
- Finding a greater purpose.
- Resolving past childhood concerns.
These and other minor forms of growth are a common benefit of therapy models like Brainspotting, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and talk therapy.
#3 Benefits of Therapy–Increased Confidence and Higher Self-Esteem
If you struggle with self-esteem, therapy can help with the underlying causes. Overcoming low confidence can be tricky, but with the use of methods like CBT and Brainspotting, you can learn how to:
- Identify negative self-talk and redirect it to a more positive tone.
- Utilize new thought processes to build yourself up instead of tearing yourself down.
- Better manage stress with positive coping mechanisms.
- Improve your communication abilities and boost your confidence.
I love supporting my female clients in growing their self-confidence with a holistic approach, and boosting your self-confidence means digging into why you may have low self-esteem. It’s an opportunity for you and me to grow our relationship by getting curious about the past, with no shame or blame, and simply about becoming more interested. Together, we can understand how certain situations may have damaged your confidence and how you can overcome them.
Brainspotting is a powerful modality of therapy that I offer to my women’s clients. It allows us to bypass the logical thinking brain and access deeper parts of our brains that hold onto past traumas and experiences. Through this technique, we can process and release these negative beliefs, allowing us to let go of self-doubt and reach our full potential.
But it’s not just about addressing past traumas – it’s also important to focus on building positive coping mechanisms for managing stress in the present moment. This may include mindfulness practices, setting boundaries, or finding healthy outlets for emotions like exercise or creative expression.
#4 Benefits of Therapy–Becoming More Educated
In therapy sessions, you have the opportunity to ask questions that can help you better understand psychology, the word we call this is within the profession is psychoeducation. One part of therapy is educating you about your unique diagnosis and its intricacies. This means analyzing your challenges and learning how the brain functions around them. This education helps you better understand that you are not broken or flawed. You are unique! I like to support my clients in learning about the many gifts that come with a diagnosis rather than focusing on only the challenges.
For example, a client with a higher-than-usual startle response learns through psychoeducation that although they can’t stop this automatic response that your body goes into for the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response, they can decrease it. I can teach you breathing in therapy that can slow this automatic response down. Therefore, attending therapy is an excellent opportunity to learn more about how your mind works and how your brain corresponds to your physical body.
#5 Benefits of Therapy–Realizing you Don’t Have to Go It Alone!
Perhaps it’s the influence of technology or the increasing trend of remote work, but I’ve noticed a concerning trend: too many individuals have confided in me that they believed they had to navigate their mental health challenges alone. It’s an odd phenomenon when you think about it. Would any of us seriously consider attempting to put a cast on our own broken arm or, worse, attempt to perform surgery on ourselves? The very thought seems absurd.
The same principle applies to mental health; it should not be tackled in isolation. As a professional deeply trained in marriage and family therapy and clinical counseling, I take great satisfaction in guiding individuals on their personal journeys toward self-improvement and realizing their life goals.
Mental health, much like physical health, requires expert intervention and support. Just as we wouldn’t hesitate to seek professional help for a physical ailment, we shouldn’t hesitate to do the same for psychological struggles. My role involves providing a supportive environment for exploring personal issues, developing coping strategies, and fostering growth and healing. It’s rewarding to witness individuals transform into the best versions of themselves, equipped to lead fulfilling lives.
It’s time to release the weight of yesterday and welcome a brighter tomorrow. If the shadows of the past are holding you back, know that you’re not alone. Psychotherapy offers a path to understanding, healing, and growth. Your story deserves a new chapter. Begin your healing journey, and book a FREE intro session today.
