Should I seek therapy? Why do people usually go to therapy?

People seek a good New York therapist for many different reasons:

…ways you feel: You may feel depressed, anxious, angry, fearful, confused, worried, hopeless, or overwhelmed. You may be unable to "think your way out of it" or feel better, even with the support of friends and family.

……how you feel about yourself while walking in New York: You might feel inferior to others, shy, lonely, angry at yourself, ashamed of yourself, disappointed in your life, afraid of things.

……there are disturbing symptoms in your life: You may have repetitive thoughts, panic attacks, insomnia, nightmares, fits of anger, crying, compulsions, or obsessions. You may feel out of control, which can be a very scary thing.

……problems in your relationships: You may have trouble with your partner, your spouse or children, parents, co-workers, or friends, Your romantic relationships may end abruptly or may be volatile and unpleasant. It may feel like no one understands you or that you can't seem to get along with others.

……you can’t stop doing things you know are not good for you: Prescription or recreational drug abuse, drinking in NYC bars, trying to control your eating, engaging in unsafe sex, or continuing to stay with a romantic partner who you know is not good for you. NYC has plenty of opportunities for not taking care of yourself.

……effects of past traumas or events: You may have grown up in a dysfunctional family, lost a parent to an early death, or your parents divorced and this was difficult for you. You may have been bullied or scapegoated by your peers, suffered emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. All of these can have profound impacts on how you function in day-to-day life and in relationships with others.

……issues related to your identity: You may be unsure of who you are, your sexual identity, religious beliefs, ethnic identity, or spirituality.

……issues with life transitions: Challenges arise at every step and stage of life. Being a young adult, supporting yourself financially, attending or graduating college, being a single parent, going through a divorce, grieving a friend or loved one, being an “empty nester”, caretaking of elderly parents, or facing retirement. Or perhaps you feel that you always struggle, year after year.

……problems in your creative or career pursuits: Feeling blocked in your writing, having stage fright as an actor, not being able to get along with supervisors. Or being a visual artist who feels somehow that the spark has been lost.

……overall dissatisfaction in your life: A feeling of general unhappiness, feeling unfulfilled, adrift, stuck, or hopeless. Or you seem to keep repeating the same mistakes and not knowing exactly why. For example, "Why do I keep getting involved with people who are not good for me?"

……some people go into therapy not because they are troubled but rather purely to enhance their lives: You may want to learn more about yourself and your inner world and tap into strengths that you may feel you have but cannot GET STARTED with. The human mind can be vast and enriching to the lives of those who choose an "examined life." It can be as if we view the world through different colored filters, and through therapy we can appreciate the lifting of filters that are unhelpful and the addition of filters that add color and vibrance to our lives and ways of being in the world.

…In any of the above cases, therapy can strengthen you, ease your symptoms, improve your relationships with others, and reduce your suffering. If you're considering a NYC psychotherapist please feel free to contact me and ask a question or for a consultation.