One of the commonest phrases in our culture is to “talk things over”. And its implied meaning is that talking things over is the way to finding a solution to a problem. Counseling and therapy give you a chance to talk things over with a caring, compassionate professional who is also medically qualified to help you at the difficult times in your life. Individual, family and marriage counseling can make all the difference to someone at a turning point in their lives, and help them find the positive directions for their future.
Some problems afflict certain demographic groups; depression hits women and adolescents especially hard. Relationships and marriages face strains at certain stress points as work and financial issues come home. Qualified counsellors can help individuals, couples and families negotiate the twists and turns that life brings, by giving them the tools to take control of their lives.
You can beat depression
Depression can have a ripple effect, spreading out to take control over all areas of an individual’s life. Worldwide, more than 350 million people suffer from depression. Depression strikes some groups harder than others. Almost 11% of adolescents have suffered from some kind of depression by the time they are 18 years old. And women are 70% more likely than men to suffer from depression at some point in their lives.
While depression can be easily treated, using psychotherapy treatments that generally last for 10-20 weeks, half of all Americans with depression disorders don’t seek any treatment. About 6.9% of all adults in the U.S., or 16,000,000 people, had suffered some kind of depressive episode in 2012. Depression affects a person’s family relationships and work as well as their self esteem and motivation. It is estimated that the annual costs of depression, in terms of lost productivity and healthcare costs, are around $80 billion. Individual counseling and medications can help most people overcome depression and to regain control of their lives.
Couples therapy can make all the difference
Therapy is usually the last ditch effort to salvage a marriage or relationship. But the statistics and experience show that it works remarkably well in terms of the results it produces. As many as 93% of patients who worked with a family or marriage therapist said that they now had more effective tools to handle their problems. They also reported feeling healthier and being more efficient and productive at work after therapy.
And among couples who participated in couples therapy, 98% of those surveyed said the help they received was “good” or “excellent”; more than 97% said they received the help that was needed for their situation. Counseling by a licensed marriage and family therapist typically costs less, by 20-40%, than consulting with a psychologist or a psychiatrist. The high rate of success suggests that couples therapy should be a first rather than last resort when a marriage or relationship is on the rocks.
Childhood and adolescence counseling
Childhood and adolescence can be difficult times to negotiate, for both children and parents. Sometimes it gets too much for parents to handle, and family therapy might provide the answers. An outsider has an unfair advantage over a parent, since he or she is not perceived as being the authority figure. A sympathetic listener with professional training can help families to better understand each other and themselves, as they negotiate life’s difficult pathways.
For people going through a difficult time in their lives due to problems in interpersonal relationships, personal issues, family situations or life changes, it can feel like you have no friend with whom to talk things over, and no one to turn for advice. Psychotherapy provides a caring listener and expert advice on getting your life back together and recovering your positivity. For those whose faith is an important part of their lives, some practitioners offer faith based counseling as part of therapy programs.
For people of all ages and beliefs, therapy can help you recover from depression and unlock your potential. Sometimes you just need to talk things over.
