Questions From You: Is There Such a Thing as Too Long in Therapy?
Taking that first step of reaching out for help is not easy. In fact, it is the hardest part for some people. The stigma surrounding seeking and utilizing mental health resources, especially therapy, has improved drastically even in the last decade but it is still a factor and a barrier for many individuals. In this series I am going to do my best to ‘demystify’ some of the most common misconceptions and barriers surrounding accessing mental health care. The large majority of the misconceptions and barriers we will be discussing were submitted by peers in a recent questionnaire. In this first post we will be discussing the stigma around receiving long-term therapy.
Every psychotherapy experience, much like humans, is unique. This is due to a variety of factors. Modalities used, frequency of sessions, diagnosis, how long treatment takes, etc. are just a few of those factors. Today we are going to primarily focus on one - length of treatment. Length of treatment can (and does) vary significantly between cases. For example, I have clients that have been with me for 4+ years consistently, clients that come and go as needed and clients that I may only work with for a few months. For anyone reading this, the first (and most important) point I want you to take away from this post is that There is no shame in needing and/or wanting long-term therapy. Think about it this way - just like physical health, mental health has varying levels of severity and therefore, varying levels of treatment. Some individuals enter therapy seeking support for a situational concern that may only take a few months to work through, some may be struggling with an episodic concern such as major depressive disorder. Others may enter therapy for one reason and end up discovering other concerns along the way that keeps them in treatment longer or have a diagnosis that requires consistent long-term treatment for maintenance. The point is, no one gets to choose your timeline besides you, and your therapist (well, and insurance companies sometimes - but that is a subject for another day). Why is it that we go to our primary care practitioner once a year for preventative physicals and any time a new health concern pops up or we are not feeling well but do not view mental health in the same regard? Mental health and physical health are incredibly intertwined and maybe, just maybe, if we start prioritizing our mental health the way we prioritize our physical health we will start to see the positive effects within not only ourselves but society as a whole. A great place to start is practicing normalizing seeking treatment for mental health, both for yourself and those around you. The more we are able to speak freely and honestly about mental health and the treatment of it, the closer we get to a world where mental health no longer has a stigma attached to it.
If you have other questions, concerns, misconceptions or barriers to seeking mental health treatment that you would like me to address please do not hesitate to reach out. Here at Monarch Therapy we are all about supporting each other in any way we can, the world is hard enough as it is.
