What is the first thing that pops into your head when someone tells you that they see a therapist? Do you immediately begin formulating what might be wrong? Do you suddenly view the person as sick, fragile, or broken? Perhaps, as a highly sensitive person, you have run into your own personal experiences with stigma…
Highly sensitive people tend to feel emotions more deeply than others. They feel more attuned to people and surrounding environments, and are more profoundly impacted by both. Sometimes, this hypersensitivity can cause higher rates of stress, anxiety, or depression.
High sensitivity can certainly cause some folks to need more time and space in quiet, less stimulating settings. Highly sensitive people are not sick, fragile, or broken! Click for more information on thriving as a highly sensitive person.
But just as high sensitivity does not mean that you are broken or that anything is wrong with you, counseling is not only for folks struggling with mental illnesses. Many highly sensitive people can find benefits from counseling.
Here are 6 ways that everyone can benefit from therapy:
1. Stress Management
The truth is – many stressors impact physical health, so while seeing a medical doctor is always a great idea for physical symptoms, many physical symptoms can be caused by stress. When this is the case, treating the physical symptoms without addressing the underlying issue works as a Band-Aid at best. Most people don’t think twice about seeking the advice of a doctor when they feel sick. But did you know that, when unchecked, stress can lead to physical concerns including headaches, stomach problems, muscle tension and pain, fatigue, skin irritations, and increased blood pressure? For those with high sensitivity, these resulting concerns can occur faster and with more severity. Counseling can facilitate healthier ways to cope and manage stress, thereby helping to improve physical health.
2. Personal Growth, Exploration, & Insight
Have you ever wondered why you act a particular way in certain situations, or why some experiences invoke a strong emotional reaction? Sometimes it is helpful to know where a feeling or reaction comes from. Counseling can offer a path for more in-depth self-exploration that can lead to personal growth. There doesn’t need to be anything “wrong” to want to identify and explore feelings and experiences. Some people just like to understand themselves a little better.
3. Work on a Specific Goal
Have you ever felt bothered by a particular habit that you’ve just had a difficult time breaking? It seems that no matter what you try, you just can’t seem to overcome this one little annoying thing. Many people benefit from a short-term, solution-focused counseling experience. Therapy doesn’t have to take months or years, and if often doesn’t! While some people do find longer-term therapy helpful, just as many folks find benefit in fewer sessions that focus on one particular goal.
4. Life Adjustments
Major, and some minor life adjustments invoke stress at times. Some adjustments are absolutely positive, but can still produce feelings of upheaval or stress. Maybe you’re a recent high school or college graduate having a difficult time adjusting from school life to work life. Perhaps you’ve recently decided you want to do something different, but you’re just not sure what direction to go, or how to get from point A to point B. Maybe you are leaving home for the first time, and feeling a little lost or out-of-sorts. Life changes can be positive or negative, and either way they can create a dissonance that can feel disconcerting. It can help to talk things through in an open, accepting, and nonjudgmental space.
5. Coping/Support
Loss comes in many forms. Death is certainly a loss that causes many people to struggle. Other losses can include a romantic relationship, friendship, job, ability, or lifestyle. There is nothing weak about the person who admits that they could use some support, or additional tools to help them cope with grief or loss. In fact, it takes courage to admit that you could use some support and seek assistance!
6. Improve Relationships
All relationships are challenging at one point or another – whether it’s a relationship between parents and children, spouses or partners, friends, peers, or other family members. Relationships do not have to be in distress to be improved upon. Counseling can help you better understand the dynamics in a relationship, how to be a better listener, and how to communicate more effectively.
So Why Talk to a Counselor vs. Family or Friends?
Relationships with family and friends are a two way street. These relationships involve a lot of give and take, and there’s personal stakes involved. Therapeutic relationships focus on you! It is a confidential space for you to be yourself. Counselors can offer unbiased objectivity that other relationships just cannot. Therapy presents you with an opportunity to freely explore what you want and need to – in a space that is all your own.
Kristen Henshaw, a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern at Counseling South Austin under the supervision of Ann Stoneson, LPC-S, specializes in supporting the highly sensitive person navigate through their unique circumstances. Her additional experience and areas of focus include trauma recovery, life transitions, and caregivers' issues. She offers an affirming environment for members of the Trans and LGBQ+ communities. Contact her for your free thirty-minute consultation.