Talk Therapy: Unraveling Your Secrets without Fear

If you are being weighed down by confusing or overwhelming emotions, talking can do wonders. You may be tempted to seek out a close relative or friend to “spill the beans.” Will that help? Yes. Will it be similar to talking to a trained and experienced therapist? No.

While talking to a friend or relative can be productive, it cannot be equated to seeing a professional counselor or therapist. They may not always be free to listen to you, and because they have relationships with your other friends and family, it may not be easy for them to stay non-partisan or objective 100 percent of the time.

Can they keep your discussions private, even from your other friends and relatives? Can they suggest effective interventions to resolve your issues, or assess and treat the symptoms of an emotional condition? These are the reasons why talk therapy works better with a licensed counselor.

Understanding Talk Therapy

If you are among the quarter of Americans experiencing an emotional condition, you may want to consider seeking therapy without medication as a first resort or a combination of the two. If you need to sort out your issues or to overcome pervasive negative emotions, you will want to resolve and overcome what’s gripping you sooner rather than later. Talk therapy can work for you.

This form of psychotherapy is anchored in dialogue. According to the American Psychological Association, “it provides a supportive environment that allows you to talk openly with someone who’s objective, neutral and nonjudgmental.” It is a collaborative treatment that can include various approaches: interpersonal therapy (IPT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), other kinds of talk therapy, and combinations.

There is no question that it can be cathartic to share your depressing or anxious thoughts and feelings. Therapy entails not only talking about your emotional condition and negative thoughts, feelings, and issues, but finding an approach that will work to relieve your symptoms and resolve your problems.

How Talking Works

You are lucky if you have friends and relatives who can be there as your sounding board, keep everything confidential, and stay neutral and objective all the time. If your issues concern people they know, it will be a challenge for them to stay neutral and not discuss them with others, and they may not be able to provide interventions or tools that will address your concerns. This is why talking to a professional counselor can be easier and more productive.

A professional counselor or therapist is non-partisan and unprejudiced. They are also trained to listen well; they know at what point they can ask a guiding question or offer a suggestion to help you find answers to your concerns. They will help you release all those bottled thoughts and emotions by crying, shouting, ranting, or just silently processing life events or feelings. Though talk therapy can employ various approaches, all of these are centered on a common goal—to help you find relief and feel better.

Is Talk Therapy for You?

If you have misunderstood talk therapy, due to myths or obstacles strewn in your path, you may be hesitant or unwilling to see a professional therapist. This is why it is important that you understand talk therapy and its benefits.

NHS Choices shares the benefits of talk therapy. It says it can help people struggling with symptoms of an “emotional condition, such as depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, a phobia, or an addiction,” as well as severe conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It can also help when you are experiencing a difficult life event such as a devastating loss or the diagnosis of a life-changing or life-threatening condition. It can help the elderly, families, couples, and children who have emotional or behavioral issues or have gone through a traumatic experience.

It’s in your power to feel better. Call Carolina Counseling Services – Fayetteville (West), NC Office, and work with one of the contracted therapists to unravel what’s making you depressed, guilty, anxious, grieving, hopeless, and/or confused. With their help, you can better understand your issues and find ways to resolve or manage them.

Whether you are saddled with an emotional condition or you just need to unload your “baggage,” come to us. Just call Carolina Counseling Services – Fayetteville (West), NC Office, so we can better help you.

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