Featured Partner

How to Use Online Therapy If You’re Mentally Healthy

Featured Partner Contributor
Font Size:

It’s universally recognized that therapy is a productive tool for helping mentally unwell people grow to be healthier. But what about mentally healthy people? Are there any benefits of going to therapy if you feel mentally well?

The short answer is yes.

The Benefits of Therapy for the Mentally Healthy

We’ll start by examining some of the benefits of therapy for people who are already reasonably mentally healthy:

  •       A better understanding of yourself. This is an opportunity to get to know yourself better. You may have certain tendencies, habits, biases, or perspectives that influence your life in ways that you don’t yet understand. Better understanding these influences and better controlling them can lead you to better relationships and a better life.
  •       An outlet to vent and explore ideas safely. Your therapy sessions are private, which means you’ll have a safe outlet in which you can vent and explore ideas that you think are important. You may not feel comfortable exploring your relationship dynamics or your job with others in your life – but you can always share with your therapist.
  •       Coping with everyday stress and anxieties. Your therapist can also help you find new ways to cope with everyday stressors and anxieties. No matter how mentally healthy you are, you’re going to feel some stress, and it’s important to deal with that stress in a healthy way.
  •       Discovery of underlying issues. Even if you feel perfectly mentally healthy, there may be underlying issues that affect you in invisible ways. This is a chance to potentially discover them and correct them.

How to Use Online Therapy If You’re Mentally Healthy

These are some of the best ways to use online therapy if you’re mentally healthy.

  •       Choose the right online therapy service. Thankfully, there are many online therapy services to choose from, so your first challenge is choosing the correct one for you. For example, you might specifically seek out a form of online therapy that takes insurance if you want to save some money. Some online therapy services also specialize in certain types of therapy, so read these service pages carefully.
  •       Set specific goals. Even if you don’t have a specific illness or ailment to talk about, it’s a good idea to set some specific goals before you head to your first session. Is there anything in your life that you don’t enjoy or don’t like? Is there something specific you’d like to work on as a person? Are you satisfied with your relationships? Your therapist can help you refine these goals if necessary.
  •       Understand what therapy entails. You might know that therapy is a valuable tool for mental health, but do you understand everything that therapy entails? It’s a good idea to understand the basics before you attend your first session. Your therapist will likely ask you lots of questions and allow you to provide open-ended responses. They may provide you with insights, advice, guidance, and supplementary reading materials and exercises, but they’ll mostly serve as an active listener. Depending on your goals, they may work with you on specific objectives.
  •       Talk to friends and loved ones about your decision. If you’re comfortable doing so, consider telling your friends and loved ones that you’re planning on going to therapy. They’ll likely support you in this decision and may be able to provide you with guidance or advice on how to get the most out of it.
  •       Spend time reflecting on your life. Spend some time thinking about your life. What types of relationships have you had? How would you describe your role in your current job? What makes you feel happy, and what makes you feel sad? These introspective questions can prepare you to engage in much more meaningful dialogue in the course of therapy.
  •       Make a list of topics you want to explore. In line with this, make a list of topics you might want to explore in a therapeutic setting. It’s okay if this list isn’t very long; this is just something to start with.
  •       Be open and honest. Licensed therapists are legally required to protect your privacy, so there’s no risk in being open and honest about every topic. You’ll get much more out of therapy if you’re 100 percent sincere.
  •       Don’t overcommit. You don’t have to go to therapy forever – and you don’t have to stick with the first therapist you find. Avoid overcommitting and be open to changes in the future.

If you’re feeling anxious, depressed, or mentally ill in other ways, therapy is an obvious choice. But therapy is also extremely valuable for people with no obvious symptoms of mental illness. Let’s work on eliminating the stigma of therapy together and start using therapy as a tool for personal improvement.

Members of the editorial and news staff of the Daily Caller were not involved in the creation of this content.