Signs That You Might Benefit from Psychotherapy

Wondering if Psychotherapy is the Right Next Step for You?

As someone who thrives on making informed decisions, you're likely seeking ways to optimize your personal and professional life. If you've ever wondered whether psychotherapy could be the right next step in that journey, you’re not alone. Psychotherapy isn't just for those facing overwhelming emotional struggles—it can be a powerful tool to unlock deeper insights, enhance emotional resilience, and build lasting personal growth. Let’s explore some of the signs that indicate you might benefit from this transformative process.

Motivation for Change

The most crucial sign that you might benefit from psychotherapy is a wish to change something about your emotional life. Without that motivation, you are unlikely to devote the time, effort, and money psychotherapy requires. Psychotherapy can be incredibly valuable and life-changing, but it demands motivation to change. It’s also worth noting that psychotherapy only helps YOU change. It can’t directly change other people, your work situation, and so forth.

So let’s assume you want to change something in yourself, something about your feelings, relationships, or outlook on life. What other factors might predict that you’ll benefit from psychotherapy?

Psychological-mindedness

Do you think about the way your mind works? Do you wonder how the minds of other people work? Do you agree that psychological factors drive behavior and that you may learn things about yourself that you didn’t know before? If so, that’s psychological-mindedness. Being willing and able to consider what’s going on in your own mind and the minds of others is necessary for psychotherapy to foster insight and personal growth.

Curiosity About the Root Causes of Your Emotional Struggles

Curiosity is one of the driving factors in psychotherapy, and it has to come from both parties. The psychotherapist will be curious about how your mind works; you should be too. Curiosity means the drive to explore what lies beyond, and what goes deeper. For example, what leads to your depressed mood, or your anxiety? What are its root causes?

Psychotherapy aims to uncover the hidden roots of troubling moods and dysfunctional behavior. Are you curious to learn about this?

Willingness to Commit to Consistency

Psychotherapy works best when done consistently, regularly, e.g. weekly. Interruptions like vacations, work deadlines, and family emergencies will arise but both parties otherwise need to prioritize and protect their time together.

Some clients have practical issues that prevent perfect consistency and most psychotherapists will work around these inconsistencies. However, if sessions are haphazard or infrequent, psychotherapy may not be a realistic option.

Sometimes, too, clients cancel or postpone sessions due to emotional discomfort rather than practical obligations. This is best discussed in the psychotherapy itself. But in extreme cases, it may prevent psychotherapy from taking place.

Ability to Tolerate the Process

For psychotherapy to create lasting change you need to be open to the process. This includes several factors. First, can you sit in a chair for about an hour regularly and talk? Some people are too anxious, agitated, or mentally disorganized to do this. Those who aren’t ready for this format need a different kind of treatment and treatment setting. Psychotherapy works for those who can tolerate the basic format of sitting and talking.

Second, are the memories and experiences in your head too upsetting to talk about? Unusually severe emotional trauma and abuse may call for other calming approaches before psychotherapy can begin.

Third, are you so overwhelmed with feelings that you can’t control your behavior? Psychotherapists create a safe space to look at yourself. If, despite these efforts, you are at risk of physically hurting yourself, the therapist, or the physical space (i.e., the office) around you, then psychotherapy cannot take place.

And finally, do you have the patience to allow the process to unfold? Psychotherapy often takes time; instant relief is rare.

Resources for Your Next Steps

Psychotherapy is apt to benefit you when you are motivated to change something in yourself; when you can reflect on your own thoughts and feelings, and those of others; when you are curious to explore the roots of your troubling symptoms or dysfunctional relationships; when you can participate in psychotherapy consistently; and when you can tolerate the process.

If these signs resonate with you, you may want to continue exploring our website to learn more about psychotherapy, or, find a psychotherapist near you. We offer a directory of low-cost psychotherapy options. You might also seek recommendations or referrals from your trusted network of care providers, family, friends, and peers.