If you notice that your mental health is suffering for some reason, the first idea that should come to mind is to go to a psychologist. It is normal for many doubts to arise at first and for you to be a little reluctant to go to therapy because, although the prejudices surrounding psychology and psychiatry are gradually being eliminated, many stigmas still exist.
Does the psychologist really work? How can he help you? What are the signs that indicate that you need to go to therapy? In this article we have spoken with Patricia Rosillo, a psychologist at El Prado Psicólogos, to help us resolve all these doubts.
Will going to the psychologist really help me?
What would you do if you woke up tomorrow and your stomach hurts a lot? What would you do if you have a lot of migraines lately? You would go to the doctor, right? And what would you do if lately you feel sad, apathetic, with a lot of anguish and you notice that emotionally something is not going well within you? Well, you’ve got it right. The most logical thing to do is to seek help from a mental health professional. No, there is nothing wrong with it. And yes, it does work.
But wait, don’t think that going to therapy is the panacea and that if you go to the psychologist in two days you’ll feel fine. The success or failure of a therapy depends on several factors, including the following:
Trust with the professional
Keep in mind that, for the therapeutic work to have a real effect, the relationship established between patient-psychologist must be one of full trust. In other words, you have to feel 100% comfortable to share your experiences, your feelings, those most intimate things in your life that you have never dared to tell anyone… It is not easy and this complicity is not always achieved at first, after Sometimes you have to try several psychologists until you get it.
The type of therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, brief strategic therapy, exposure therapy, EMDR therapy … There are many different therapeutic approaches and one may help you more, while another person may be more helpful. The ideal for therapy to work is to find the psychologist and the approach that best suits your circumstances.
Your commitment to therapy
One of the most influential factors for the therapy to work is the involvement and commitment of the patient. Neither the best therapy nor the best psychologist will be able to help you if you don’t do your part. You must mark therapy as a priority in your life and work with motivation and zeal on the different aspects that the psychologist points out to you. Keep in mind that the psychologist acts as a catalyst, but who really has the power to transform attitudes and thoughts and heal is only you.
Do I need to go to the psychologist? Clear signs to clear doubts
Now that you know that going to the psychologist DOES work, you must be clear about the reasons why you need to go so that your motivation is greater. The psychologist Patricia recommends asking for psychological help if ….
- You have a very pronounced and evident symptomatology (anxiety, depression, eating problems, alcoholism problems, obsessions, pathological jealousy …) that is paralyzing you and is having an impact on different areas of your life: family relationships, partner, friendships, work…
- You have intense and long-lasting states of discomfort that last over weeks and months.
- If you have certain difficulties that are preventing you from advancing in life and you do not know how to find the way out on your own, even if there are no very pronounced symptoms.
- You want to improve skills, abilities, promote resources, in short, you want to promote something positive in yourself and grow.