The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is typically a highly recommended method of treating mental illnesses. From personal experience, I feel it is a very helpful method of treatment. They provide you with different methods of positive thinking and just help you work through different issues you discover in your life.
One method of positive thinking that my therapist provided that I felt was extremely helpful was a way for me to reroute my thinking to stop blaming myself for everything. For example, whenever one of my friends seemed upset I would immediately think it was my fault and I did something wrong. My therapist told me whenever I felt this way I should take a moment and list the reasons why it could be my fault and list the reasons why it may not be my fault. This was extremely difficult at first, but since I have continued to do this it has become easier and I have become happier.
It can be extremely difficult opening up to a stranger about you life and how you’re feeling at first, but eventually you become really comfortable with this person who feels more like a friend than a stranger. It feels more that they just care and want to listen to you more than it feels you are paying for someone to care about your problems, which many people who don’t go to therapy think it is.
I have had two different therapists in my life. The first time I went to therapy I didn’t feel like it was helping me, but I think that was also affected by the fact that I didn’t quite feel like I needed help at the time. I hadn’t come to terms with the fact I was struggling. However, once I accepted the fact that I wasn’t okay and went looking for help I have noticed how much better my mental health has become since I began receiving it. I have also noticed the majority of therapists will help you find a different therapist to help you if you don’t feel they are helping you. There is always help out there, but it is easier to be helped once you decide to get it not when it is being forced on you.
Does your child go to therapy? Do you know if they utilize CBT? Have they ever changed therapists? How did that process go?