Broadly speaking, therapy is a process that involves spending time with a professional in a caring and collaborative relationship in order to improve different aspects of your life. This can take on many different forms – individual therapy, where you are one-on-one with a therapist; family therapy, where you and your family work with a therapist; couples therapy, where you and your partner work with a therapist; and group therapy, where you meet with a small group of people working on similar issues. Therapy can also focus on many different aspects of your life and experiences including feelings, thoughts, relationships, and/or behaviors.

The benefits of therapy can vary quite a bit and depend greatly on what you want to get out of it. Therapy is a collaborative process with your therapist that is guided by the goals you have. These can be very specific goals such as learning better coping skills, attaining a desired life goal, or changing specific behaviors. Or they can be more general goals like building better peer or family relationships or processing stress and difficult emotions. Many of life’s challenges are things that you may be able to overcome on your own or with the support system you already have in place. Therapy can be an excellent resource either in addition to these supports and skills, or when these supports feel insufficient for dealing with the current challenges.

Anyone can benefit from therapy in some way, whether by improving their relationships or gaining insight into their thoughts and behaviors. When difficult emotions, negative thoughts, or problematic behaviors start to interfere with your day-to-day life, therapy becomes an even more important resource to tap in to. In these cases, therapy can help to get things back to a level that feels more manageable and where the same daily impact is no longer felt.

Choosing the right therapist can feel overwhelming. One of the most important things to look for is whether or not the therapist has any stated experience with the right age range or kinds of issues that you would like to address. Practical limitations, such as location, availability, or insurance, may also play a role. It is important to remember though that choosing a therapist is not a permanent choice. In many cases it can help to use the initial session to get a sense for whether or not you feel like you can work together to meet your goals. Research has consistently shown that a good fit with your therapist is the most important factor in treatment success. Even a very experienced therapist may not end up being the right fit because their style or approach is not right for you.

A good therapist is someone that you feel like you can trust and is able to help you achieve your goals. While the process of therapy itself can sometimes feel uncomfortable when addressing difficult thoughts and emotions, you should always feel safe and cared for with your therapist. Finally, trust your instincts – if something feels “off” or like you are missing something you want in therapy, bring that up with your therapist. In some cases, it may be an indicator of a mis-match between a therapist and a client. But often these can be productive therapeutic discussions and may lead to changes for one or both of you that helps to keep things moving forward.