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You Don’t Need to Be Sick to See a Mental Health Therapist

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Over the last several decades, people’s attitudes around mental health counseling have shifted significantly — and thank goodness for that! It wasn’t too long ago that people were afraid to talk about seeing a therapist because they worried about what people might think. Or, they were reluctant to even see a “shrink” because they didn’t want to admit that something was “wrong” with them.

These days, the general public seems to know better — especially the younger generations. People understand that you don’t have to have any sort of diagnosis in order to go see a mental health counselor, and seeing a therapist doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. Sometimes it just means you want to be better.

Sure, some people seek out therapy to deal with severe mental health disorders and concerns (not that this means anything is wrong with them either), but more often than not, people are choosing to go to therapy for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with disorders. The most common diagnosis in private practice is “Adjustment Disorder”, something is changing and I’m not quite sure what to do about it.

With techniques in Positive Psychology on the rise, many mental health therapists are actually moving away from the concept of diagnosis and treatment for disorder and instead focusing more on things like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the PERMA Model, and other modalities that help with neuroplasticity.

As it turns out, there are plenty of reasons why a person might not feel mentally healthy, and there are plenty of ways to help manage mental health.

 

Some of the Reasons Seeing a Therapist Might be Helpful

Other than struggling with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, or something like that, there are a number of reasons a person might want to see a mental health counselor.

Maybe you’re just going through a difficult time in life — managing grief, working through low self-worth, processing trauma, or navigating your new found understanding of your sexuality, for instance. Being gay, bisexual, polyamorous, or a swinger doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you, but it also might be something you choose to see a therapist about — especially if you’re still learning to accept the things that make you feel different.

It could be that you’re trying to unlearn certain things that have been harmful to your mental health or overall wellbeing. You might be going through the process of “reparenting,” and working with childhood wounds. Maybe there are people in your life you want to forgive and you just need a little help.

Another reason you might explore therapy as an option is to work through mental blocks that you feel have been holding you back in life. Like, you always get to a certain point when working towards goals or developing relationships, but then something seems to get in the way, and things go south.

Or maybe you’re on the path of self-discovery and you want a safe space to talk about what you’re learning and uncovering about yourself and how you process things. You want a neutral, and unbiased person to weigh in on the things you’re working through.

There are countless reasons why a person like you might want to see a mental health therapist and it certainly does NOT mean that anything is wrong with you. After all, if you only got help when you were at your worst, you could never be your best.

For When You’re Thinking About Seeing a Therapist

Personally, I think mental health counseling is good for everyone to explore, good therapists almost always have a good therapist of their own. Not every therapist it’s right for every person.

If you’ve been thinking about seeing a mental health counselor, it’s important to find the right professional for you and your personal needs. For instance, I specialize in working with individuals who identify as polyamorous, ethically non-monogamous, swingers and/or LGBTQ+. I also work with individuals who are interested in Kink and BDSM, or other alternative lifestyles.

As a mental health therapist who is licensed to practice in the state of Texas, I focus on serving residents of the state virtually, and locally here in Houston. If you live in the area and are interested in exploring therapy as an option for bettering yourself or working with personal struggles, I’m here to help. Start by scheduling a free consultation using the tool below or give me a call today.