A very close friend of mine recently hurt her leg. She wasn’t doing anything special—meaning no marathons, or weekend warrior events—just living life for the most part. Anyways, she somehow damaged a nerve and now has to attend physical therapy 2x each week. As I have watched her faithfully attend these sessions for several months now, I can’t help but think how physical therapy is so much like mental health therapy. 

Here are just a few similarities I see. First, my friend has to attend regularly in order to heal. Second, she is given homework to do daily in between sessions. These exercises help speed her healing. Third, each week, the therapist pushes my friend a little harder to help her body learn/re-learn movement and get stronger. And finally, my friend will get out of therapy what she puts into it. If she doesn’t do the work and trust the process, she won’t heal properly. 

Also, physical therapy—like counseling—can be painful at times. However, both kinds of treatment should involve a trained, experienced and empathetic therapist who will only challenge you to do new things when they believe you are ready and able. In other words, they should always be setting you up to succeed. Are therapists perfect? Of course not, but they always have your best interests in mind and are knowledgeable through training and experience to know what you need to do in order to experience healing.

The practical blog in this piece gives specific information on how to get the most out of your mental health counseling sessions. However, what it all boils down to is that you, like my good friend, will have to do a little work if you want to grow.

If you need to speak to an Orlando clinician, please don’t wait. A trained and seasoned mental health therapist can help you begin your path to healing. Please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment.