Do I still Need to Go to Therapy Even if I’m Feeling Good?
Date: May 28, 2024
Survey says, it depends!
Let’s start with why it is a benefit to see someone even if you are feeling good.
Here ‘s my professional and personal opinion.
The biggest benefit is now that you are feeling emotionally grounded or your situation is more stable, you can now reflect on PAST, PRESENT, or FUTURE concerns. So whether you have been going to therapy for years or you would like to try it for the first time, it’s still a helpful place to look inwards at any point of your life.
Second benefit is you can talk about other issues that might have been impacting you before the initial issue you wanted to talk about or you are anticipating issues that are coming on the horizon that you want to discuss in advance. For example, lets say you originally came in to talk about the relationship issues you were having. But now you want to talk about the friend you lost when you were nine and how it still impacts you to this day. Or you came to talk about relationship issues you were having, but now you want to talk about the fact your dog is getting old and may pass away in the next year.
Third benefit is you can have a ‘wrap up’ session and reflect on the things you learned during your time in therapy. This is really helpful because when times get tough in the future (notice how I said when and not if ) you can look back at this session as a cheat sheet of the tools, the learnings, and resources you used to get through your last hard time. And apply that to the next hard time.
Now lets shift to why it may not be necessary to see someone when you are feeling good.
First point against it is that you may have gone through a lot and you want to take this time to relax and recharge your batteries. Some people find therapy a helpful place to do that while others find therapy can be tiring and not as helpful to recharge. In fact, this might be where you spend time doing numerous different koselig actions such as being in nature, seeing friends, going travelling, reading a book, watching shows, having some alone time, etc.!
Second consideration is whether the time and money is better spent elsewhere in your life. You may find your situation has changed or you have new or old hobbies/activities that you want to put more time into. Or you no longer have the free time or the finances to put towards therapy so it just makes sense to stop at this time and focus on the new situation. If this is the case know that many therapists offer a sliding scale, especially if you have developed a good relationship with them and they want to support your therapeutic goals but your finances may not be able to currently meet their hourly rate.
Lastly, it can be a natural point in your life to pause and reflect on whether you need to develop skills/change things in your life that are not therapy-dependent. For example, maybe in session you developed awareness of the need to put in boundaries with certain friends. Then you can use that time when you are feeling good to practice that skill.
Please know that the majority of therapists would support whatever actions the client chooses for them.
We may advise staying for a few more sessions depending on the situation or encourage pausing sessions so you can enjoy the good vibes. Ultimately the choice is up to you! You can always try a middle ground of going in for a check in session and seeing if it feels natural to keep booking more sessions or feels better to continue pausing from sessions.
At the end of the day we are happy to be a resource and support for you whenever you need us.
Written by: Melissa Campos
