While there’s undoubtedly been a major cultural shift in the collective perception of mental health and treatment for psychiatric disorders, finding a therapist that you click with—whether you’re looking for cognitive behavioral therapy or emotion-focused therapy still isn’t exactly a seamless or judgment-proof process.
Even when you’ve finally taken the plunge and decided to give therapy a shot, finding the right therapist or mental health care provider can be a struggle—whether you’re looking for in-person or virtual care. Often times, it’s a grueling process of trial and error, and the first one or two candidates don’t quite feel like the best fit. This process can be pretty discouraging, and can often leave those in need exhausted resulting in giving up in therapy altogether.
While medication is often a necessary part of treatment, talk therapy has really helped me identify common thought patterns which has helped me become more self-aware and able to distinguish when it’s my anxiety talking versus my logical mind. Of course, one common critique of telemental health is that the therapeutic benefits will be lesser than face-to-face sessions.