Explains what talking therapies are, what happens during therapy, how to get the most from therapy and how to find a therapist.
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Talking therapies are treatments which involve talking to a trained professional about your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. There are many different types of talking therapy, but they all aim to:
"Sometimes it’s hard to talk to family and friends and you just need that one person who takes the time to listen."
Therapy can help you manage and cope with:
Some people think that therapy is an extreme option, and that unless things get really bad you should try to manage on your own. But this isn't true. It's ok to try therapy at any point in your life, whatever your background.
In fact getting support from a therapist when you're not at crisis point can be really helpful – it might feel easier to reflect on what's going on, and could help you keep things from getting worse.
"For me, counselling was a lifesaver. I never used to talk to anyone. For years, I would keep things bottled up and then cry hysterically on my own as to not inconvenience anyone. I would hide it so I wouldn’t have to confront my thoughts and fears."
Talking therapies have been shown to work well for many people. And some types of therapy are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as evidence-based treatments for particular mental health problems (such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression and anxiety, and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for borderline personality disorder.)
But it's difficult to say whether a particular therapy will work well for you or not because it depends on lots of factors, including:
Therapy can work well on its own, or it can be something you try alongside other treatments, including exercise or medication (see our section on therapy, medication or both? for more on this).
But therapy isn't a quick fix, so it might take some time to see whether it's helping you or not. And it isn't right for everyone.
If you've tried therapy for a while and it hasn't helped, it's important not to blame yourself. Our pages on getting the most from therapy and alternatives to therapy offers options and tips for a range of situations.
"You’re the only person who knows which treatments work for your mental health – counselling doesn’t work for everyone, neither does mindfulness or medication."
This information was published in June 2018.
This page is currently under review. All content was accurate when published.
References and bibliography available on request.
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