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February 8th - 10 min read

Talk Therapy Blog

What To Expect in Talk Therapy

What To Expect Talk Therapy Toronto - Blog Cover Image - min

Did you know that 75% of patients who enter psychotherapy show that they benefit from it? Talk therapy has been demonstrated to improve behaviours and emotions. It also leads to positive change throughout your brain and body. 

Psychotherapy can help you cope with losing loved ones, medical illnesses, stress, depression, anxiety, and many other problems that make you feel helpless and alone. Here is everything you need to know about talk therapy counselling and how to find the best therapist.

What Is Talk Therapy?

Psychotherapy or talk therapy is what mental health experts use to communicate with clients who need counselling.

For most clients, talk therapy is all about having a safe space. It is an opportunity to talk about all your feelings and emotions affected by daily stressors.

Your therapist can help you understand yourself. If you are struggling with grief or loss of self-esteem, stamping down your emotions and not working through psychological issues like abuse can culminate in many problems. 

After identifying your problems, your mental health therapist will help you understand how stressors negatively impact your well-being. Their goal is to help you develop strategies and lifestyle changes to decrease the severity of a person’s depressive symptoms.

In a nutshell, imagine dealing with a lot of pain each day and feeling lonely, not knowing what to do. You may no longer want to get out of bed in the mornings to go to work.

This type of depression can become too powerful. Some people even stop eating properly and looking after themselves. Having a professional to help you understand your feelings makes more sense of your moods.

With their help, you can start turning things around for yourself to gradually improve instead of always relying on family and friends for support. Since most people’s family and friends are busy with their own lives, you may not find someone to talk to when you need to the most.

It is where talk therapy becomes your best friend to combat the loneliness and give you the cushion you deserve to pull out of the rut.

What to Expect in Therapy

Generally, you should expect a talk therapy session to last up to an hour. Then you and your therapist can discuss how many sessions you need to attend to continue treatment. Usually, you may expect to go for weekly sessions to get to the root of all your problems.

Although this seems like a significant commitment, you will realize that your relationship with the therapist gets better each week. Then going for multiple sessions will seem more manageable because you will adjust to the process and make it part of your routine.

As you develop more coping strategies with your therapist and show signs of improvement, the number of sessions may become bi-monthly instead of weekly. However, this is different for every patient depending on how much support they need.

There is no golden rule that you have to attend many sessions if you cannot fit them into your schedule. Always let the therapist know about your work and family commitments.

This way, they can help you decide how many sessions will benefit you the most. Not everyone will have the same number of therapy sessions to attend.

Types of Talk Therapy

This blog will show you five main categories of psychotherapy. The first is behavioural therapy, and the main goal is to eliminate unhealthy and self-destructive behaviours. It is to address these negative behaviours to reinforce desirable and positive ones.

The second type of talk therapy counselling is cognitive-behavioural therapy. Your therapist will use cognitive therapy to narrow in on all the things you think instead of what you do. Cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques are the most used by therapists to treat depression and anxiety disorders.

The next one is humanistic therapy, a mental health approach that focuses on the importance of being your true self. Humanistic therapy centers around a core belief that people have a good heart and are more than capable of making the best choices for themselves. Therefore, it is necessary to help you hold yourself in high regard.

Otherwise, you will always struggle to develop your true potential and not have a fulfilling life. Psychodynamic therapy is the 4th type of talk therapy. It is an approach that dives deep into the unconscious motivations and meaning behind your thoughts and emotions.

Finally, you may also come across integrative or holistic therapy. But, again, this is where your mental health therapist will avoid using only one style.

They will use different theories and practices to create a unique style that fits your needs the most. 

Finding the Best Asian Therapist in Toronto

If you are ready to start talk therapy, the most significant step is finding the right person you want to build this relationship with. Remember that you need to like and trust your therapist to continue ongoing treatment.

If you cannot open up and be honest with a therapist, they are not the right person for you. Instead, you need to find someone who will motivate you and help you live your best life.

With that in mind, the first thing you can do is ask your local GP for a recommendation. Doctors you see every day usually have a network of other experts to help guide patients.

Ask your local doctor if they know someone with a stellar reputation and track record of helping many patients with the same problems as you.

Why Asian Mental Health Therapists?

In the Asian community, people were raised to believe that they should not discuss their internal problems externally. There is a lot of stigma in families, and everything needs to sweep under the rug. Medications can only do so much.

Psychotherapy is the best way to get to the root of internal problems. An Asian mental health therapist in Toronto will better understand cultural differences and treat clients more effectively. 

Questions to Ask
Although most therapists will have attractive websites detailing their qualifications and experience, you should always have some of your questions to interview them.

It is because you need to find the best person for yourself. Someone may have an impressive track record of helping other people, but you need to ensure that they are the right expert to tackle your problems.

The first thing you should do is ring up a practice and ask if they offer an initial free consultation. Then you can get a better feel of a therapist’s style and personality by speaking to them in person or over the phone.

Always ask about their experience dealing with specific problems that match your own. It is crucial because you do not want to start counselling with someone who does not understand what you are going through.

Never be afraid to ask a therapist about their years of work in sensitive settings, the type of conditions they have treated, and the age of their clients.

The last part is essential because you do not want a therapist who has only worked with one age group and cannot relate to or understand older people’s problems. Feel free to ask your future therapist their approach to psychotherapy.

It is where they can tell you about how they influence treatment. The final questions you need to ask should be about the number of appointments you need, the cost of treatment, and what the therapist expects back from you.

By doing so, you can establish a successful connection that will help build a lot of trust and rapport to continue long-term treatment.

Does Psychotherapy Work?

In a nutshell, talk therapy is one of the best forms of treatment, and it does work. Otherwise, people would never go for counselling or recommend it to their loved ones.

The effectiveness of talk therapy does vary from person to person. Psychotherapy relies on how well you can communicate your feelings and emotions to the other person.

It also depends on the dynamic of your relationship with your therapist. If you have a therapist you do not trust, you will not have a good experience and may get put off by counselling.

According to a population-based cohort study conducted in 2018, researchers discovered that early talk therapy treatment in numerous bereaved people reduced the risk of suicidal behaviour.

With the best therapist, you can get help reducing long-term risks for severe mental health conditions.

Get the Best Support Today

At some point in life, everybody will experience emotional distress. For example, you may feel depressed after losing your job, going through a divorce, or losing a loved one.

The good news is that talk therapy is the best type of treatment to help you find new coping methods while reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Anyone can attend a counselling session because talk therapy is open to all. It does not matter what problem you have or how old you are. You can always benefit greatly from psychotherapy. Contact Vera today for more information and let her provide the support you need

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