What Exactly Is Therapy Anyway?

"Can't I just talk to my friends and get advice?" " What's the point of talking to some stranger about my problems"?

This is one of the most asked questions. A common assumption is that therapy is just a series of advice giving. You come in with a particular bothersome situation, you lay on a couch, a therapist tells you how to fix the situation, you find out if you are right or wrong, you feel better, and then you go on your way. Next problem arises and the cycle repeats. To quote the wise words of Dwight Schrute, "False!"

Therapy comes with a treatment plan. A plan that provides direction for how to accomplish goals. Having someone on the outside of your issue helps to identify what you might be missing. A therapist can find thoughts or behavioral pattern that are barriers to progress that might not be obvious to you.

"I can write down and execute my own goals. What do I need a therapist for?" 

Believe it or not, we all deal with an issue that requires some extra help. If you fell and wounded your arm, it is likely that you could grab necessary items and stitch your own arm up. But who WANTS to do that! No one! So you go to a professional trained to do such tasks.

 So what is therapy? An opportunity to sit with a professional to help you function better in the world. It's a way to heal.  Give yourself permission to do something different and take a chance on YOU.