This week, actress, singer, and most followed person on Instagram, Selena Gomez revealed that she attends 5 sessions of therapy per week. Gomez has been candid about her struggles with depression and anxiety, especially after her Lupus diagnosis last year and hopes that being open about her therapy will encourage other women to seek help.
Therapy can be incredibly beneficial for people in a wide variety of circumstances. Therapy does not necessary have to be corrective but can actually be something you do proactively, before you encounter a problem. For couples, therapy might be the tool that saves a relationship by improving communication and facilitating conversations that are difficult without the help of a professional.
Therapy is essential during divorce. According to Psychotherapist Kate Scharff, “Even a well-handled divorce is a huge upheaval.” The process of divorcing is emotional and it is a good idea to use professional resources to help navigate the spectrum of emotions that may result from divorce. Every family member will benefit from participating in individual therapy and maybe additional family therapy. No matter how amicable, divorce inevitably results in life changes that are often difficult to process. Children who do not receive professional help processing and communication their emotions during a divorce may struggle later in life with an inability to appropriately express emotions.
Therapy is an opportunity for parents to lead by example and model healthy emotional behavior for their children. Seeking professional guidance for your emotional and psychological wellbeing should be normalized rather than stigmatized. Needing or attending therapy does not make you weak. It does not mean that anything is “wrong” with you. What it means is that you want to be a better, healthier, version of yourself, and you aren’t afraid to make a change.
