A prospective client once contacted me and she was afforded an opportunity for an up-to 15-minute free telephone consultation to determine proper fit for the mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively referred to as “mental health”) services I provide.
During our conversation, the individual told me that she wanted to improve specific areas of her life. Still, she expressed that there wasn’t any significant issues which may warrant psychotherapy (colloquially referred to as “therapy”).
I then briefly discussed that I practice Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a form of cognitive behavior therapy, that aims to help people actually get better rather than to merely feel better. I added that this psychotherapeutic modality serves as a type of self-help approach to life.
“Do you think I need therapy?” the prospective client asked toward the end of the call. “How would I know?” I responded, “I’ve never met you and we’ve only spoken for almost 15 minutes.” I then asked, “Do you think that you need therapy, or that it could benefit you?”
Requesting time to contemplate this question on her own, I never again heard from the prospective client. I haven’t thought much about that phone call until recently when I spoke with an individual about therapy misperceptions. Herein, I’ll address three of these misimpressions.
Misconception 1: Therapy is only for people who are “crazy.” It’s worth knowing that “crazy” isn’t a current medical term.
According to one source, “In psychiatry crazy may refer to psychosis (the word “crazy” has no official role in psychiatry). The definition of psychosis is the presence of delusions, hallucinations, and disorganization of thought and speech.”
Apparently, some individuals believe that mental health therapy is solely for the most severe cases imaginable. For example, think of a person experiencing a psychotic break with active suicidality—sudden loss of touch with reality with thoughts and/or a plan to kill oneself.
Although the individual in this example may benefit from mental health services, the overwhelming majority of people I see in my practice are nowhere near a need for that heightened level of care. In fact, most of my clients are high-functioning individuals.
Moreover, REBT is a transdiagnostic approach to mental health. This means that diagnosis of (a) mental disorder(s) isn’t required in order for someone to qualify for the therapy services which I offer. As such, I see a number of people for problems that most individuals experience in life.
Additionally, it’s especially helpful that I don’t accept insurance reimbursement for my services, because insurers require at least one diagnosis and access to client records. Therefore, the clients with whom I work take advantage of discrete self-pay services to address fairly common issues.
Misconception 2: Therapy is necessary only when experiencing a crisis or the worst imaginable event in one’s life. Imagine a similar standard being applied to one’s primary care physician (PCP).
I invite you to consider that in a blogpost entitled Want vs. Need, I defined a want as a desire to possess or do something, with a desire described as what a person strongly wishes for, and a need as something that is required, because it is essential or a necessity.
During mental health crisis events, which are relatively limited in nature during the average person’s life, there’s an argument to be made about the necessity of therapy. However, must you wait until the worst imaginable event takes place in order to reach out for help with mental health?
For a brief moment, imagine that your mental health is something like a motor vehicle. The usual wear and tear regarding tires, windshield wipers, and other components of your vehicle will likely occur throughout the duration of your journey in life.
As well, oil and transmission fluid levels, tire pressure, and fuel levels will undoubtedly decrease over time. Occasionally, nicks, dings, scratches, or even fender benders (mild-to-moderate damage from impact) may occur.
Depending on how frequently you use your vehicle, and for how long, you may even need a complete engine rebuild at some point. Let us hope that you never require repairs for severe framework damage; although, that also happens from time to time.
While minor preventative maintenance actions may be relatively inexpensive, major incidents can prove quite costly – especially if your vehicle is already in a state of disrepair when a crisis unfolds. Given this imagined exercise, could routine therapy prove useful to you?
As an REBT practitioner, I don’t make a habit of telling people what I believe they should, must, or ought to do. Thus, I invite you to consider that if you use a preventative approach to your physical health by routinely visiting your PCP, why would you wait to see a therapist only during crises?
Misconception 3: All therapists are the same and from the representations you’ve seen in television or film, on TikTok or YouTube, and about which you’ve heard from other sources, no form of therapy is worth the time, money, or effort people devote to mental health improvement.
I, too, used to subscribe to this misimpression. In fact, when I began the informal practice of life coaching in1991, my justification for doing so was due in large part to ignorance—lack of knowledge.
All therapists were imagined to be the same and no therapy was worth anyone’s time, I thought. Therefore, I began “helping” people through the unrefined practice of advice-giving. To date, I have no idea how helpful or unhelpful my words and actions were.
Then, when attending graduate school for counseling (2009-2011) and then pursuing graduate studies in social work (2012-2014), I learned what actual help for mental health wants and needs was all about. This realization further benefited my continued practice of life coaching.
Furthermore, I learned that, as one source states, there are “400 varieties of psychotherapy approaches”—a number that seems to be ever-growing. Consequently, not all therapists are the same. We don’t even practice the same approaches to helping people get better.
As an example, a traditional psychoanalytic practitioner may have the client lie on a couch while facing away from the analyst. This format is conducted several times a week and for many years.
In REBT, this approach to therapy isn’t essential. Although, I have conducted teletherapy sessions with clients who just so happened to have been laying on their personal sofas, which wasn’t a necessary component of the therapy session, REBT doesn’t inherently function in this manner.
Noteworthy, Albert Ellis, the late psychologist who developed REBT, once practiced psychoanalysis. In an interview, he stated about this modality:
I thought that psychoanalysis was deeper, more intensive, so I got analyzed and practiced psychoanalysis for 6 years. But then I found that my clients were often worse rather than better.
So, in 1953, I stopped calling myself a psychoanalyst and did a survey of the scores of therapy techniques and took the best of them. I felt that many therapies were woefully ineffective so I formulated REBT in 1955 with the goal of making therapy more efficient.
So far, I’ve demonstrated my rejection of the notion that all therapists are the same. Not only do we subscribe to different therapeutic perspectives, I argue that not “all” members of any group is the exact same in form or function. Surely, other REBT practitioners and I aren’t fully alike.
Now, there’s the matter about no form of therapy being worth the time, money, or effort devoted to mental health improvement—to advance or make progress in what is desirable. Improvement is as subjective a standard as what constitutes getting better.
As such, the value derived from improved mental health depends upon each individual. For instance, modifying the motor vehicle example used earlier, imagine that you are given a car. You didn’t devote effort to acquiring it, so do you believe that you will value your new ride?
Perhaps you say, “Yes, because I’ve never had a car before and I really need the ride to get around town.” Wonderful! I genuinely hope some mysterious person unexpectedly shows up in your life and presents you with an opportunity to receive mental health care for free.
On the other hand, withdrawing the unlikely potential that you’ll somehow receive a free vehicle or no-cost mental health services, what would it take for you to value the time, money, or effort devoted to your mental health improvement? You have some skin in the game, so to speak.
The incurred risk (monetary or otherwise) involved in pursuing your mental health interests and goals is akin to the purchase of a new vehicle and cost of maintenance for your ride. What is it worth to you to have a properly functioning vehicle? I suppose it all depends on what you value.
In closing, I once was contacted by a prospective client who asked me, “Do you think I need therapy?” How could I have possibly answered that question in a logical or reasonable fashion without having known the individual? Morally and ethically speaking, I couldn’t have.
Away the client went, as I haven’t heard from her since. Recently, I was reminded of this individual when discussing common misconceptions about mental health with another person. Herein, I’ve discussed my perspective regarding three of these misimpressions.
Presuming that you’ve understood my rationale, I now turn toward you. Do you need therapy? If you’ve properly comprehended what I’ve expressed herein, I suppose you have a starting point to the answer for this question. Now, the choice is yours to make.
If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
AEI. (n.d.). About Albert Ellis, Ph.D. Albert Ellis Institute. Retrieved from https://albertellis.org/about-albert-ellis-phd/
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Crisis. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/crisis
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Mental disorder. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/mental-disorder
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Suicidality. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/suicidality
Freepik. (n.d.). Full shot young woman undergoing therapy [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/full-shot-young-woman-undergoing-therapy_38896621.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=16&uuid=bd5d7253-e23f-4adf-950e-2d03b1f99fc7
Hollings, D. (2024, April 20). A transdiagnostic approach. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/a-transdiagnostic-approach
Hollings, D. (2024, May 19). Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/cognitive-behavior-therapy-cbt
Hollings, D. (2024, September 14). Crazy. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/crazy
Hollings, D. (2023, June 26). Ctrl+alt+del. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/ctrl-alt-del
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2022, June 20). Insurance coverage and lengthy wait times. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/insurance-coverage-and-lengthy-wait-times
Hollings, D. (2024, January 2). Interests and goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/interests-and-goals
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2023, January 8). Logic and reason. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/logic-and-reason
Hollings, D. (2024, March 4). Mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/mental-emotional-and-behavioral-health
Hollings, D. (2023, October 2). Morals and ethics. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/morals-and-ethics
Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings
Hollings, D. (2024, April 4). Preventative maintenance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/preventative-maintenance
Hollings, D. (2023, November 23). Problems. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/problems
Hollings, D. (2023, September 15). Psychotherapeutic modalities. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapeutic-modalities
Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Hollings, D. (2024, June 5). Self-help. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-help
Hollings, D. (2022, October 7). Should, must, and ought. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/should-must-and-ought
Hollings, D. (2023, April 9). The advice that never was. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-advice-that-never-was
Hollings, D. (2025, January 2). The choice is yours. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-choice-is-yours
Hollings, D. (2022, June 20). Teletherapy. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/teletherapy
Hollings, D. (2024, November 24). Values. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/values
Hollings, D. (2023, May 3). Want vs. need. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/want-vs-need
Hollings, D. (2022, August 8). Was Freud right? Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/was-freud-right
Maier, J. T. (2024, April 5). Who is “high-functioning”? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/philosophy-and-therapy/202403/who-is-high-functioning
McGinn, L. K. (1996). Interview: Albert Ellis on rational emotive behavior therapy. National Academy of Psychotherapy. Retrieved from https://psychotherapy.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1997.51.3.309
Ohwovoriole, T. (2024, May 24). What does it mean to have a psychotic break? Verywell Mind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-psychotic-break-causes-symptoms-treatment-support-5270544#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20psychotic%20break,to%20recognize%20when%20they%20occur.
Rego, M. (2023, March 14). What does “crazy” really mean? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-world-modern-mind/202303/what-does-crazy-really-mean
Trujillo, J. (n.d.). This is why so many people are switching to self-pay for therapy. Northeast Georgia Counseling. Retrieved from https://www.northeastgacounseling.com/resource/switch-to-self-pay-therapy
Zarbo, C., Tasca, G. A., Cattafi, F., and Compare, A. (2016, January 11). Integrative psychotherapy works. Frontiers in Psychology. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4707273/#:~:text=However%2C%20in%20clinical%20practice%2C%20the,%2C%20behavioral%2C%20systemic%2C%20cognitive%2C
Kommentare