February is Psychology Month: Who needs psychotherapy?

Let’s talk!

Sometimes we just need a place where we can say what’s in our heart and mind without fear of being ridiculed or punished. Psychological services such as psychotherapy offer that opportunity. It’s a chance to examine how our thoughts, feelings, and actions come together either to help or hinder us in our relationships.

Psychologists offer many forms of therapy – most of which have a strong evidence-based support. That means, there is research supporting the effectiveness of the treatment. Some therapies are in the growth process – mindfulness is one of them – and have a base of moderately supportive evidence; however, we have to be aware that the media hype may be exaggerating the effectiveness.

If there’s one reason people seek out psychotherapy, it’s to feel validated in their thoughts and feelings. That doesn’t mean they’re looking for someone to say they’re right about what they feel or believe. Therapy is an opportunity to test out how well-supported our strong feelings and beliefs are.

Sometimes, we need that support so we can make decisions about our lives. A relationship may not be working out or be unhealthy for us. An education or career path may seem to be the wrong choice and needs an unbiased person who can help us hear our deepest desires.

 

 

 

Of course, sometimes we need to examine our strongly-held beliefs because they may be ways of seeing the world and others that are not working anymore.

 

 

 

 

The Canadian Psychological Association offers this information page to help us understand important aspects of effective psychological treatment.

You can also go through the Psychology Works Fact Sheets here. These pages give information on many issues psychologists can help with.

 

Here’s a chart by the Ontario Psychological Association that shows how different healthcare professions can help:

Mostly, as Psychologists, we hope we can offer you a chance to just be appreciated for who you are.

 

 

 

 

(Sorry, our Regulatory College doesn’t allow us to lick your face. But we can offer soft tissues and a glass of water or tea!)