Do you know which kind of therapy will work for you?

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 topic in hand, what kind of therapy suits you?

The answer to the question is a lot more complex than you think. First, it depends heavily on the reason you are seeking counselling. Is it for depression? Is it for anxiety? Is it a trauma you need to recover from? Are you looking for depression counselling in Mumbai, or some other city? How accessible is therapy to you currently? Answers to all of these questions will impact the answer. However, the one thing that remains consistent is that you need help. You should not be shy of asking for help. When you fall down and scrape your knee badly, don’t you ask for help while getting up? Similarly, if there is trauma that cripples you, it is more than okay to seek help for it. However, which kind of help you need varies.

One on one therapy is the most common in India. Within that, there are different techniques that therapists adopt for different patients. But, in India, this kind of therapy is expensive to adhere to, especially in bigger cities. This is where group counseling comes into play. Group therapy is when one or more therapists get together to help a group of people get over their mental health problems in a group setting. Group therapy is also different from support groups. This is a common error that a lot of us make. The major difference between the two is that support groups consist of more people with varied issues and group therapy is lead by a group of professionals helping people with similar problems. Group therapy is more than just support, it is about the individual and collective betterment of people suffering from some form of trauma. While there are a lot more versions of therapy, the answer lies in your experience. Talk to a professional, get help and start your recovery.