Navigating Therapy: What to Expect on Your Journey

I often get asked how therapy works and I find it difficult to answer in a single sentence because I feel that therapy is simple and complex at the same time. Simple because the process allows a lot of room for flexibility and revisions and complex because it needs to be tailored based on the issue, the individual, and the overall dynamic between a therapist and the individual seeking therapy. Therapy does not look the same for any two individuals because each individual is unique and so is each therapist. But here are some common factors that you can expect out of therapy.

1. Therapy can be used for multiple reasons.

When you join yoga or a gym class, you can join it for multiple reasons. E.g. to remain fit, to lose/gain weight, to keep your body active and healthy, to feel calm and motivated.

In the same manner, therapy can also be sought for multiple reasons. Whether it's enhancing emotional management, deepening self-understanding and relationships, seeking a non-judgmental space for expression, developing socio-emotional skills, or simply unwinding and de-stressing, therapy caters to a range of needs.

2. The process of therapy takes time.

When you ask a therapist how long it will take to see the results of therapy, you may not get a concrete and proper answer and that is because, unlike medication for physical ailments, therapy rarely focuses on quick fixes. It is a multi-layered process of unboxing concerns and uses various approaches. Every individual has a different pace when it comes to processing things and everyone is valid. Healing is not a linear journey. It is bound to have ups and downs.

3. You can feel completely okay and still take therapy.

It is absolutely okay to seek therapy even when everything is going right. The narrative that therapy is sought only when there are problems is incorrect. One can choose to seek therapy for reasons other than problem-solving as well. Therapy is a space to grow as an individual, reflect and introspect, question, and give voice to ideas that seem too impossible to voice out in front of anyone else. It is a space without judgment that encourages you to be the best version of yourself.

4. You can feel overwhelmed after your first session.

Feeling overwhelmed after the initial therapy session is common and normal. Opening up to someone on a deep level can evoke feelings of vulnerability, yet it also brings a sense of relief and lightness. While expressing emotions may seem daunting, it's an essential first step toward healing. You can grow through what you go through.

5.  Your therapist cannot make decisions for you.

It's natural to turn to your therapist when you’re going through any dilemma or confusion. But therapists refrain from offering black-and-white answers, recognizing that individuals are best suited to navigate their own lives. The therapist’s role here is not to solve the problem for you but to equip you to decide and go through with it. The therapist will not give you any black-and-white answer even if you want them to, because you know your life the best. We believe that every individual can make the right decisions and a therapist’s job is to provide a nudge and empower through the right navigation.