Anyone tried therapy? Is it worth it?

I personally found it helpful and would recommend it although it’s important to spend time researching potential therapists first to find one who you feel aligns with your goals. The most difficult part in my opinion is finding time to meet with a therapist, but that might be a bit easier with WFH depending on the industry you’re in. I eventually had to stop seeing mine because I moved cities but I found I was a more productive person in my personal and professional life when I was seeing one regularly since it gave me a way to deal with different stressors at the time.

Its like you've heard its great for some and its terrible for others. You need to set realistic expectations and find the right therapist for you.

It's definitely worth a try, why not?

I'd say that it's similar to people's experience with going to the doctor. People will have good and bad experiences but it sounds like the data points towards it being helpful for you. 

It's also highly dependent on the therapist as well. I've gone through many before finding one who was competent. I personally had one which made my problem much worse because they weren't using research backed methods, others who didn't do much and for lack of a better word wasted my time, and one who made a huge difference. I went through 10+ different counsellors / social workers / psychologists before finding the right one over the past 6 years. 

You can even ask for a short 5 - 10 minute call before committing to the first session. They should be happy to make this time. You can gauge how well you 'click' and how insightful they are just from a short chat imo. This is what I did. A good place to start could be having this short chat with the therapists who your friends liked.

Depends on the therapist and what your malfunction is

The first therapist I saw was when I was 17-18 and she was awful. She looked cute and acted nice, but didn’t know what she was doing. I had a psychiatrist for a short time after that and largely believed the whole system was a sham and that there was an over prescription problem in the US. I thought therapy and psychiatry was just mind over matter.

Then at 26 had some issues and met more crappy psychiatrists. Then met a psychiatrist at 27 who was super smart, he got me from the beginning and I tell him everything, even illicit drug use. He’s super cool and remembers everything I say without even writing it down. I’ve been seeing him for 10 years. I go 2x year for 1hr sessions. 

I'd say that therapy can help others, but is at one far end of the spectrum with "keeping everything bottled up" at the other. A midway point is having someone (colleague, friend or family member) you can vent to. I personally think that many therapists are very good at their job and help you frame things in a different way, but many people can find pretty good relief just by getting things off their chest and having someone listen. Try the middle-ground options first and then see if you need professional help.

I've thought about it, but personally one of the issues I'm facing is finding ones in network, or ones that take insurance. Relative to other medical professions, it seems therapists are less likely to accept insurance, at least in what I've seen.

How much does therapy cost? Is it covered by health insurance? 

I am on the verge of turning 30 and going crazy. I have this constant need to reminisce even as far back as grade school. I have a great job, a great GF, but just feel empty and not taking how fast time as gone, well.

I am sure everyone feels like this but fuck, if I feel like this at 30, fuck me. Been meaning to see a therapist for quite some time now but just haven’t. Looks like it may be in my New Years resolution.

Dear diary…..

Started therapy in summer 2020 and continued until I moved back to the city in summer 2021; it was a good outlet for a lot of the emotions I was going through at the time, but haven't felt the need to go back since I've left IB and have way less stress now. If I could do it again, I would shop around and try out 2-3 therapists rather than immediately settling for the first one.

I've been in therapy for about 6 months, I'd say it is. It's a great intervention. I only pay the copay since it's covered by my insurance.

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It is worth it, but it may take time finding the right therapist. A lot of people don’t realize how beneficial it is since you have to consistently push yourself to go in order for it to truly be effective. I believe therapy can be life changing, specifically for those who have struggled internally for years but have been deterred from seeking help due to the stigma surrounding it. In an industry where you are constantly working and competing with others, mental health is key to staying sane and achieving success. If you want to thrive both professionally and personally, then having a solid mindset is paramount. Otherwise you may simply be surviving day to day and that is no way to live. Success starts from within and as cliché as it sounds, mental health is just as important as our physical health, if not more significant. I wish I spoke up sooner instead of waiting to the point where I could no longer take it and ended up overdosing. My life completely fell apart and it has taken me 5+ yrs to get back to my old motivated self, but it would never have been possible if I did not receive the help I did. Such struggles are much more common than we think, but unfortunately we tend to pretend we are okay until we aren’t. Don’t wait until it is too late.

i've been once and honestly i don't think therapy makes anything better. at least for me, my problems and mental stressors were all derived from actual issues i was dealing with in the real world: being away from family, grades, social ostracism, etc. and talking to someone about it helped in the moment, sure, but didn't actually help in the long run. a therapist can't solve your problems for you. it also didn't help that my insurance was trying to get my to purchase a therapy care "package" and i was just stressed about having to pay for therapy my entire visit

i would say you should give it a try. therapy works differently for everyone, so see if you like it. i'm just a bit cynical about therapy is all

Just do it now before things snowball