Therapy in London has now been operating for 10 years. As we come into our second decade, we just want to get even better, so we’ve started to reflect on how far mental health and helping the health of others has come. As society changes and adapts, so too must the way we see mental health.
We especially started to consider all of these changes as we start to notice how people want to have therapy. It started with lying on a chaise lounge in front of Sigmund Freud and delving into your deepest thoughts, fears and ambitions.
What are the roots of therapy and psychotherapy?
Sigmund Freud may be what we consider the poster boy for psychotherapy, but prior to Freud’s interruption to the industry, emotions were simply ignored, overly medicated or even operated on with procedures such as the infamous Lobotomy.
When Freud began to treat mental ailments through having them talk to him open and candidly, society was highly sceptical of the results until he was proven correct.
What this all says is that there must always be room to continue to understand what we need in order to heal (figuratively) in today’s society.
What is happening to therapy today?
The biggest change we’re seeing now is that therapy doesn’t start and end with you having to visit a therapist and sit on their sofa. Therapy can now be conducted over the phone, through emails or even Whatsapp messages. We are well into the digital-age and it will only grow from here on in. Technology is now an integral part of our lives and that includes mental health.
This gives you, the client, much broader access when seeking a mental health professional.
The difficulty is in understanding the effectiveness of each of these new forms of therapy. The majority of studies on the benefits of therapy have focused on face-to-face therapy and within the therapeutic office.
When seeking therapy through text, emails or telephone it’s important to consider that this may not have the expected benefits that match up with what therapy is for.
It can feel beneficial to have your therapist on hand through messages – but it can be difficult to achieve longterm benefits of therapy.
The same for a telephone sessions. This can still be conducted weekly – as recommended to be the most benefit – but sessions in a loud coffee shop, driving, or close to someone in your inner circle can lack the privacy needed for successful therapy.
But these developments can be for the better and can help.
As we adapt to benefit of our own mental health, you can still use these added resources to your benefit.
- Create your own set goals and expected outcomes and address these with your therapist. They will be able to tell you if that form of therapy (phone, text, email) will still be beneficial.
- Ensure you still have a safe space if you start therapy outside of the therapy office. Your phone consultations should still be conducted away from anyone you and somewhere you feel you call talk openly. Messages should remain private and you should feel confident that they will not be seen.
- Allow yourself time in between speaking to your therapist to action your goals. A therapist should not feel like a crutch integrated into your life. Therapy should still allow you space to reflect and take action to create positive change within your life.
