Why go to counseling?
There have been so many times I’ve thought about all the reasons why therapy isn’t worth it. Even as a therapist myself, I find myself thinking:
Is this really that bad?
There’s other ways I’d rather spend my money.
It’s too hard to find the time in my weeks.
Can they really help with this?
I’d just rather not.
So, I know that some of these thoughts and many others might cross your mind, too. Counseling can feel costly in many ways – money, time, capacity… The decision to make sacrifices in these areas is a big one. Not to mention the lingering curiosity of if it can actually help or not.
But I’d love to take a step back with you and explore some reasons why counseling can challenge our thoughts and fears. The possibility that the cost might be worth it after all.
We repeat what we don’t repair.
The cost of not going to counseling may be greater than the cost of going. When we do not do the work to address the mental and emotional hurts or patterns in our life, they come back around again. Maybe with a new face or name, but back again none the less, a cycle.
Counseling helps us identify the negative cycles in our life and develop the skills to break it. While the process of healing may be painful, the consequences of not healing can cause more pain for yourself and others in your life. While some of your current difficulties may feel like an isolated event to you, a counselor can help you process what you’re experiencing and ensure you acknowledge any ways you might protect yourself and your family in the future.
It doesn’t have to stay this way.
Whether it is frustration, inconvenience, deep hurt or desperation- it doesn’t have to stay this way. You could go on dealing with it, but there’s also an opportunity to feel better. While a counselor cannot change your circumstances, they can certainly help you learn to cope and grow in the midst of them. What would it be like for you to feel better? A counselor can help you get there.
Hope is worth working for.
If you’ve given up on a person, relationship, circumstance, or yourself- we can understand why. Sometimes things look too bleak to keep putting energy toward. Maybe you’ve tried a million ways to make it better already to no avail. But there can be so much more to your life than hopeless disappointment. The possibility of restoration and redemption is always there. If God is who he says he is, then hope is worth it.
It may require a lot from you- maybe more than you feel like you have to give today. This is why counseling is a partnership. We’ll help you repair, believe change is possible and hold hope for you when you do not have it yourself. This is why we go to counseling. So that another can pick up our burdens with us, and skillfully help us find our way back to what we’re looking for. Healing is necessary for a better future, change is possible, and hope is worth it.