How Therapy Helps Even When You're Not in Crisis

Therapy may be thought of as a space to work through problems, manage crises, and/or decrease harmful behaviors. Therapy can also be a very beneficial space when things in our lives seem to be going smoothly, or there are no urgent issues that need attention. During a time like this, clients can often think, “I met my original goals. This is no longer needed.” Continuing or seeking therapy in the absence of crises can provide its own unique opportunities that may not be as available at other times, like:

Practicing, applying, and reinforcing Skills previously learned – Skills learned in therapy during difficult times can be extremely helpful in the moment. When these times have passed us, therapy can be used as a space to continue to practice and master these Skills.

Developing new Skills – When things are going well, we can be in a more regulated and stable headspace. This can make for more optimal learning and retaining of new Skills and coping tools we haven’t yet practiced or been introduced to.

Establishing systems in place to help prevent future crises – Ongoing therapy can allow us to continue to build our awareness of Self and others, to further understand our emotional vulnerabilities and weaknesses. With your therapist, clients can work to identify signals or patterns in our conflicts. Systems, practices, and Skills can be implemented that work to decrease our vulnerabilities, address our personal barriers to change, and help us prevent future crises/problems/harm from having as big of an impact. Individual or family therapy can help us to increase connection with our children, family members, or partners. Our listening, validating, conflict resolution, problem-solving, decision-making, emotion regulation, and social skills can also be developed to better maintain stability.

Exploring foundational issues that may be below the surface – Therapy during difficult times can be very focused on the present and on immediate solutions to make the fastest changes. In the absence of crises, we can explore the roots of some of our problems. How did they begin? How are previous relationships impacting our current ones? How do our childhoods and early experiences influence how we see the world? These and more are questions that can require patience and grace, questions that are difficult to answer when we feel there are more urgent matters to attend to.

Building a relationship with a therapist before one is needed – Life is unpredictable. We never know when we might want a person to talk to and a space to express ourselves freely and safely. Starting therapy before we “need” therapy can give us time to establish comfort, trust, and relationship with our therapist at our own pace.

Engaging in personal development and self-growth & Actualizing your most ideal Self – Sometimes, there are just things that we wish for ourselves that we don’t get the chance to prioritize. When you think of the best version of you, how is that different from who you are now? Things don’t have to necessarily be a “problem” for us to desire a shift.