The Benefits of Therapy In general, people of all ages form their views of the world and define their role in interpersonal relationships based upon past experiences, both good and bad.  These past experiences shape an individual's capacity to interpret and adapt to their surroundings and emotions, and in the end, have a great influence on their current pattern of thinking. Through no fault of their own, for instance in such a case where some traumatic event or adverse personal interaction has taken place, people's thought processes may become influenced and modified to such a non-adaptive degree, that when a similar event or interaction occurs, an individual responds in a manner that is not beneficial to their own emotional well-being or to those around them—such as their life partners, their children, their friends, or their co-workers.

A properly trained psychotherapist can provide people with new coping techniques to replace those that are currently "not working" or that are otherwise having a negative impact on their quality of life.  You cannot undo the past, but you can do something about how you approach and view life in the present and in the future.

There are a variety of reasons why people seek out therapy treatment and often times there are multiple issues, some minor and some major, that are contributing to a person's hurt or distress.  As you might imagine, because all individuals are unique, the issues they may be struggling with are always unique in some way as well.  However, there are some general reasons why people may consider consulting with a therapist.

Significant life changes or transitions, such as a newly arisen health condition, a recent death or divorce, one moving into a new area or entering a new job, school, etc., commonly elicit strong emotions or unwanted feelings.  A person may enter therapy to rediscover who they are, or because they feel "stuck" and want to move forward in life with more vigor or hope.  Perhaps someone in your immediate circle of friends or family had noticed a change in your behavior or attitude and they are concerned about your wellbeing, or they or someone else, may have simply shared their own experiences in therapy and believe that therapy may be of benefit to you.  There are many other reasons why people seek out counseling, but the common thread in the examples that I have listed, is that people who enter therapy primarily do so to actively improve their present condition, or at the very least, to prevent their present condition from worsening.