What do I do in therapy?

What exactly is therapy?Have you considered therapy, but unsure of what exactly it means to get started?
Learn more about what you actually do in therapy — and how you can adapt each intervention to meet your needs.
What do I do in Therapy?

• Talk. Therapists help people talk about presenting issues or concerns.
• Activities! Therapists might utilize activities to work on emotions, coping skills, self-regulation, processing, problem solving etc. Activities help reinforce skills!
• Develop new skills. A therapist might teach skills like mindfulness or self-regulation techniques. You might practice addressing someone you are in conflict with or practice how to regulate your emotions when you are feeling overwhelmed.

Why Do People Need Therapy?People need therapy for different reasons, from addressing major life events to learning skills to deal with everyday problems and stressors in a productive way. Someone should consider therapy when they have a problem or problems they need support with. Therapy helps people process their feelings, learn new skills and address issues in a new way.
There are so many different Therapists out there, how do I pick!?There are many types of therapists! Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs), Licensed Addiction Counselors (LACs) are all trained professionals who can address different problems.
LPCs and LCSWs usually specialize in individual treatment, working with people one on one. They may also run therapy groups for people to connect with others going through similar experiences. LMFTs specialize in the area of families and couples and work through issues related to those aspects. LACs focus on treating substance use disorders and challenges related to substance use.
What do I do next?It is important to do research on the type of therapist you want to work with!
Do you want a male or female? What are the issues you are wanting to address? Do the therapists have a speciality training that you think sounds interesting?
Most therapists offer a free consultation before you start, so you have a chance to see if you would be a good fit. You can always switch too!
Sometimes you won’t find the best fit on the first try, but don’t be discouraged, just like finding a doctor you feel comfortable with, finding a therapist that you are comfortable with is extremely important.