Psychological Therapy is More Important Than You Think

It is often believed that a marriage is the ultimate form companionship and is pure and devoid of all malice. While in a fairytale this makes for a great plot, things are a lot different here in the real world. Marriages suffer, people separate, couples fight, but there are times when a couple fights for the relationship instead. That is a true sign of a relationship that wants to last. Marriage counseling is often looked down upon because of the same reason, that no couple “truly in love” will ever need counseling. However, this archaic point of view has changed a little, at least in the urban India. So, does every couple ever need therapy? Do you only need it when you have been together for a lot of years? How do you know you need therapy? Well, the answers to all these questions are a lot more complex than it may seem. But this theory about new couples not needing therapy needs to be addressed. It is believed that only couples who have been together for a long-time face diff...

Thanks to pop culture, depression has become a buzz word of today. We hear the word depression being used in such frivolous situations that taking this illness seriously becomes a monumental task. Especially when the topic of mental illness is considered taboo in our society. While there is an argument that celebrities and responsible pop culture has helped initiate the conversation around mental health, it is still worth noting that there is enough frivolous content out there that people consume on a daily basis and believe it or not, pop culture plays a huge role in molding are perception about things like depression therapy . “I feel hungry but can’t order my favourite cheesecake! I’m so depressed!” Things like these make us feel that depression is an emotion, something you feel at some point and then not feel it later. However, depression is a form of mental illness. Depression and sadness are two completely different concepts. One is a mental illness that stays with you and...

Before we talk about the kinds of therapy and what is best suited for a individual, let’s understand what therapy all is about. In a nutshell, therapy is the treatment of a psychological disorder by a trained counseling psychologist in a controlled environment. When you break your leg, and after spending a few months in a cast, you go for physical therapy, right? Similarly, after facing a trauma that has taken a toll on you, to go for therapy to become better equipped in dealing with the trauma or even getting rid of it altogether. While therapy has lived on the fringes of mainstream society for many years, the recent uptick in more and more people talking about it has certainly given it a boost. The idea of therapy is a lot less alien to people than it used to be about fifteen to twenty years ago. So, what kind of therapy can you go for today? Let’s find out! There are multiple techniques of therapy that most therapists turn to depending on the person, the reason, the budget a...

Just accepting that you need therapy is a great first step. Especially in a country like India where mental health issues are not talked about and therapy is taboo. While the conversation around mental health in India is at an all-time high in terms of popularity and acceptance, there is a long way to go before therapy and mental health are normalized. Can you imagine discussing a headache as casually as a bout of anxiety with your parents? Seems like a dystonia  idea, doesn’t it? Well, the aim is to turn dystonia  into reality. Till then, mental health counseling will be on the fringes of regular conversation. However, it is worth noting that the rise in popularity of social media has had a major impact on this conversation. Because open conversations and dialogue about mental health can now reach to a wider audience, people from tier 2 and 3 cities have also started to talk about their mental health. This is the real victory for therapy in India. Coming back the main top...

Often, support groups and group counseling are used interchangeably. While the fact that these two activities are even being talked about is a huge deal in today’s world, it is worth noting that they are not the same. In fact, apart from they are being technically different, they are also meant for different kinds of people. So, group therapy or support groups? What is ideal for you? To answer this, first let’s understand what they both mean. A support group, simply put, is where a group of people come together to discuss and share their trauma or struggles. Now, owing to pop culture, you are probably the most familiar with support groups for addiction, however, support groups exist for all kinds of things and issues. Right from alcoholism to divorce loss of a loved one, support groups offer a safe space for people going through different kinds of pain. Group counseling, on the other hand, is about more than just support. Although it is similar to support groups in the sense th...

The idea of going for group therapy might sound a bit daunting at first. After all, who wants to sit with a bunch of strangers and share their deepest and darkest secrets? But it has been proven time and again that group therapy activities help people recover from serious mental health problems, just like any other form of therapy would. In fact, some participants are often surprised by how their experience turns out to be. It is worth noting that group therapy is as good as the group you are in. Anyone can benefit from this form of therapy, as long as you are in the right group at the right time. The right time mentioned here is not the timeline of a group, but in fact the person’s recovery timeline. Joining a group during acute crisis may not be the wisest thing to do since the person’s needs are far more demanding and deserve extra attention of a dedicated therapist. How group therapy works is that groups usually meet once a week, maybe twice sometimes, for about 90 minutes. ...

Irrespective of your age, city or occupation, mental health problems can crop at any time. Much like physical issues, mental health issues, too, can be cured, as long as you accept that you need help and actively seek it. Mental health counseling has become a lot more feasible and accessible in some of the major cities in recent years. What this has led to is that a lot more people are now accepting of mental health problems. However, it is still hard for some people to fathom that young kids can also face a lot of trauma. Uncured trauma on a long term can be extremely harmful, hence, it is paramount for us to understand the importance of therapy in a child’s life too. Teenagers, especially, suffer from problems that are not necessarily easy to explain. In such times, it becomes extremely important for a parent, guardian or a relative to see the signs, recognised a problem and find a therapist for the child. While adults, thanks to life experiences, are more equipped when it co...