The idea of going for therapy to resolve your mental health condition can be a daunting prospect. Here are two tips which should help you with this challenging process.

Choose your therapist with care

The therapist you choose to receive treatment from will play a huge role in how quickly you learn how to manage and overcome your mental health condition.

As such, it is crucial not to choose one just because, for example, their services are very inexpensive, or because their offices are in a convenient location for you. Instead, you should base your choice on whether or not the therapist can meet your specific personal requirements.

For instance, if you have severe anxiety which requires medication, and which tends to be triggered by being in the presence of men, it would be sensible to seek out a female psychiatrist for anxiety.

This would achieve two things; firstly, it would ensure that you feel at ease and able to openly discuss your problems during your therapy sessions (because your anxiety would not be triggered by your psychiatrist's gender).

Secondly, it would allow you to receive your required medication for your mental health condition directly from your therapist instead of going to a GP (as psychiatrists are medical doctors who have the right to prescribe medication for their patients).

Be aware of how much work is involved

If you want to get the best possible results from your therapy appointments, it's important to be prepared to devote a lot of time and energy to improving your mental health.

Regardless of whether you decide to see a counsellor for CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) or a psychologist or psychiatrist for psychoanalysis, you will need to do a great deal of work both during and after each session.

For example, if you decide to opt for CBT, your counsellor will probably set you some 'homework' at the end of each session. This might include monitoring and correcting your negative thoughts throughout the course of each day, or deliberately putting yourself into situations which trigger your anxiety, so that you can practice your new-found coping skills.

If you are not willing to do this type of 'homework' then it is likely that your progress will be negatively affected. As such, it is vital to fully commit to doing the work your therapist assigns you. 

For more information or advice, contact a psychiatrist in your area