Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Everyone should go to therapy – that’s something I’ll stand by for the rest of my life.
A bold statement, some might think. What if I don’t need help? What if I had a healthy childhood? What if I can’t afford it?
At the end of the day, regardless of your testimony or past – we are imperfect people, who adhere to lies from the pain we’ve experienced. If you know Christ you should especially understand: not one of us is exempt from needing help. And I believe therapy is an investment you should prioritize.
This subject is on my mind recently because there are a lot of people in my life who are apprehensive to therapy.
Thought it’s not my job to persuade them, God has healed me so much through therapy, and it would be selfish if I didn’t share it with others! I hope I can provide some worthy reasons for you to consider trying it.
If you’ve had any of these doubts, this blog is for you! Let’s dive in:
**Note: when I reference “therapy” I don’t mean “counseling” – I want to clarify it’s important to see a licenced therapist for professional help! Christian counseling is of course valuable, but it’s important to treat a mentor as a mentor and a therapist as a therapist. A counselor from church might be able to provide wisdom and counsel during a season of life, but they don’t have all the training to understand how our minds work. For true therapy, it’s important to find someone who has the education to help you.
1. “Therapy is too expensive.”
It’s true, therapy is often pretty expensive. Back before I had health insurance, I had to fork out $120 per session, which was challenging to say the least.
Thankfully, now on Nathan’s insurance, therapy has become a lot more affordable for us. But even if we had to pay $120 each session, I’d still make it priority in my life. That’s how “worth it” I believe it is.
Picture this: you have a broken arm and if you don’t go to the doctor for a cast, it could get infected or heal incorrectly. You wouldn’t even question for a moment if it was worth it to pay to visit the doctor. When it comes to our physical health, we’d go to great lengths to make sure our injuries heal.
I believe our mental health should be treated the same. Sure, we can’t see the wounds – and because we can’t see them it’s easy to ignore them. But those untreated wounds get infected or heal incorrectly. They need attention just as much as your broken arm. And as the doctor is to your arm, a therapist is to your mind.
Additionally, many therapists take a bunch of different health insurances. Try to find one that takes yours. I’m confident you could find someone.
2. “I don’t have a mental illness, I don’t need therapy.”
This statement operates under the assumption that therapy is only for those with mental illnesses. In reality, therapy is for those who are mentally unhealthy – which includes everyone at some point in their lives.
Just like doctor visits, you will go through seasons of needing therapy more and needing it less. It’s all dependant on how healthy you are. I’m definitely not saying everyone should go to therapy for the rest of their lives.
But I am saying we are all mentally unhealthy at some point in our lives. And when I say “mentally unhealthy” I don’t mean the extremes such as anxiety or depression. It includes feeling like you’re a burden, consistently getting angry with yourself, not being able to exert self control… the list goes on.
To me, the statement “I don’t have a mental illness, I don’t need therapy” is no different from “I don’t have cancer, I don’t need to go to the doctor.” We all need to visit the doctor from time to time, even if we’re healthier than most.
3. “I don’t want people to think something’s wrong with me.”
Sadly, I see a stigma surrounding therapy that still grips so many people in my life, especially older folks. I’m excited to see Gen Z breaking that stigma and making therapy acceptable, but many people are still resistant to it.
In response to this, I only have one thing to say: “something is wrong with you. That’s why you need Jesus.”
As Christians, we are called into humility. Our entire world view revolves around the fact that we are sinners and need Jesus to save us. Without Christ’s intervention, we would destroy ourselves. If you feel uncomfortable needing help, then by the same logic you should feel uncomfortable being saved.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
If we believe we are sinners in need of a savior, we should get comfortable with the idea of boasting in our weaknesses. It is the necessary heart posture for a Christ follower.
4. “What if therapy doesn’t work for me?”
The beautiful thing about therapy is that there are many different techniques.
My therapist uses IFS (Internal Family Systems) and it feels like it was built for my brain! I’ve found it so helpful. But when Nathan tried my therapist, it didn’t click for him. He didn’t find her strategy helpful, and therapy became frustrating for him.
Long story short, Nathan stopped going to my therapist and started searching for his own. He found one recently who doesn’t adhere to any specific method. When Nathan told him IFS doesn’t work for him, this new therapist was willing to find a different strategy for him. And it’s been a night and day difference.
If therapy isn’t working for you, you might not have the right therapist. It’s okay to switch and try something new.
5. “I don’t have the time.”
To this, I’d just say – no matter how busy you are, therapy is worth prioritizing. If not every week, twice a month or even once a month. I’m confident anyone can fit a 1 hour appointment into their schedule if they truly prioritize their mental health.
6. “Shouldn’t Jesus/praying/reading the Bible be enough?”
I’ve heard this one too many times, and I think it operates under this lie: “If God wanted me healed, he’d just heal me miraculously.”
I believe God has blessed us with medicine and technology to heal our physical bodies. And yes, sometimes he does heal us miraculously. But when he chooses to heal us through traditional medicine or diet or supplements, it’s no less powerful. God is not limited to one method of healing his people. He is God – he can do what he wants.
In the same vein, praying or reading your bible shouldn’t be viewed as the only avenues of mental healing. They should be viewed as a necessary element of the healing process, but not the only one.
I used to think “Jesus in the only thing I need.” And while that sounds like a noble statement, it’s laced with lies. When I took that belief to the extreme, I abandoned Christian community, became so prideful I believed it was wrong to ask for help, and refused to humble myself to accept advice or wisdom from others.
God has blessed us with each other and gifted us to help one another. It would be foolish to believe all we need is ourselves and God. So while Christ should remain on the throne of our hearts, he shouldn’t be our only source of friendship, help, comfort, or wisdom. Jesus speaks through other people, too.
7. “It just doesn’t seem worth it.”
At the end of the day, no one can force you to go. But there is so little to lose.
Let’s say you go and discover therapy isn’t for you. Sure, maybe you wasted a few hours of your time and a small chunk of money. Bummer.
But let’s say you go and God heals you deeply through therapy. That small investment turned into a life changing experience, where you grew closer to the Lord, healed, and learned invaluable skills to strengthen your relationships.
Seems pretty worth it to me.
The Benefits:
I’ve been going to therapy for nearly two years now, and I wish I had gone sooner. Here are a few things therapy has changed for me:
1. It’s equipped me for marriage. I’ve learned how to communicate better and understand Nathan better, loving him despite conflict.
2. It’s drawn me closer to the Lord. As I see Him healing the hurt I’ve long since carried with me, I’m reminded of the loving character of our Father. I get emotional thinking about it!
3. It’s taught me humility, bravery, gentleness, and kindness – not only to the people around me, but to myself too.
4. It’s changed my perspective on the people around me. I see people closer to the way Jesus sees them, with greater empathy and compassion.
5. It’s improved my relationships. Therapy has helped me set boundaries and given me insight on how I can better support the people in my life.
6. It’s helped me rewrite my inner dialogue – from condemnation and anger to peace and joy. Through therapy, the Holy Spirit has been teaching me the fruits of the Spirit and how to live them in my own life.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a broken imperfect person. I still sin and slip into old habits. But I truly believe my marriage, friendships, family relationships, relationship with myself, and relationship with God are better because I decided to go to therapy.
So – I don’t know – give it a try. That’s all I can say! Give it a shot. Man, woman, healthy, unhealthy, strong, weak – no matter who you are, give it a shot.
Thanks for reading, friend:) Happy Sunday! Til next time 💕