Talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy, is the practice of exploring one’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors with a trained mental health professional.
During therapy, you share with a therapist your feelings and the thought processes that have contributed to those emotional states. Your therapist will compassionately and empathetically work with you to identify where these feelings may come from and why they are there. It is a way to identify issues that cause you emotional distress and guide you on managing these emotions more effectively.
This process, achieved through talk therapy, can help you correct thinking errors, process trauma, and make positive changes in your life. Therapy is also referred to as talking treatment, counseling, psychotherapy, and psychological therapy.
Many people can benefit from therapy. In fact, our CEO Chris Perez fearlessly shared his own experiences with therapy. Therapy can help one deal with things such as:
Therapy can be something you use when you are in a crisis or as a preventative measure to keep you from spiraling into a crisis. You can also use it when you need to talk to someone in a safe place without judgment.
Therapy can treat anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental health-related conditions, issues, and symptoms.
Various types of talk therapy can be used to address your mental health issues.
Different types of talk therapy are used to treat different conditions, such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and burnout.
Therapy can offer a range of benefits for individuals dealing with various mental health issues or seeking personal development. Here are some key advantages:
Emotional Expression: Therapy provides a safe and confidential space for individuals to express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. This process of verbalizing and articulating concerns can be therapeutic in itself.
Increased Self-Awareness: Through conversation with a therapist, individuals often gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their behaviors, and the factors influencing their thoughts and actions. This self-awareness can be a crucial step towards personal growth.
Problem-Solving: Therapists can help clients explore and evaluate different perspectives and coping strategies. This can enable individuals to develop effective problem-solving skills and make positive life changes.
Coping Mechanisms: Therapy equips individuals with healthier coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, and other challenges. Clients can learn new ways to manage difficult emotions and navigate life's ups and downs.
Relationship Improvement: Therapy can assist individuals in developing better communication skills and understanding their relationship patterns. This can lead to healthier relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.
Stress Reduction: Engaging in regular therapy sessions can help reduce stress and anxiety by providing an outlet for individuals to express their concerns and receive support and guidance.
Symptom Relief: Ttherapy is effective in alleviating symptoms associated with various mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Support System: Therapists can be supportive and non-judgmental, offering empathy and encouragement. Having someone to talk to can be especially beneficial during challenging times.
Improved Decision-Making: By gaining insights into their thoughts and behaviors, individuals may find it easier to make informed and healthy decisions in their personal and professional lives.
Personal Growth: Therapy can catalyze personal development and growth, helping individuals overcome obstacles, build resilience, and work towards fulfilling their potential.
It's important to note that the effectiveness of psychotherapy can vary depending on the individual and the specific therapeutic approach used. Additionally, finding the right therapist and building a trusting therapeutic relationship is a crucial factor in the success of the therapy process.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, about 75% of people who enter psychotherapy show some benefit from engaging in therapy.
While therapy offers a safe space for introspection, self-discovery, and emotional exploration, psychiatry provides scientific expertise in psychopharmacology and medical intervention. Together, they form a dynamic duo, addressing both the psychological and biological aspects of mental health. Therapists guide you through the intricacies of your thoughts and emotions, helping you build resilience and coping mechanisms. Concurrently, psychiatrists bring a wealth of medical knowledge to the table, prescribing medications tailored to address specific imbalances in brain chemistry. In short, psychiatry gives you the hardware upgrades, but therapy gives you the software upgrades necessary to live your best life. both results in a well-rounded approach that considers the intricacies of both mind and body.
At Axis Integrated Mental Health, therapists and psychiatrists work together with your treatment providers to ensure that we have the most accurate picture of your mental health and collaborate to help you heal faster.
Ketamine or Spravato increases neuroplasticity and enables people to reopen critical windows of learning similar to learning like a child. Adding talk therapy within three days of treatment enables people to relearn how to process emotions in healthier ways that lead to transformative and sustainable life changes.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is another psychiatric intervention that uses magnets to stimulate the parts of the brain involved with depression and anxiety. We use a unique curriculum exclusively developed at Axis Integrated Mental Health during the 6 weeks of treatment. The curriculum helps patients clarify and define what skills they would like to develop and we work with therapists to build those skillsets with the patients. Skills that patients have identified have included things like identifying and mitigating self-sabotage, reducing bias for negativity, managing social anxiety, understanding strengths, reframing failures and loss, and building confidence among other skills.
Because therapists and psychiatrists work together at Axis Integrated Mental Health, patients who are taking medications benefit from having a collaborative care team that can look at the true impact of medications on a patient's life. Many patients do not realize that side effects aren't normal or just something they have to live with, especially when better treatments are available. Axis Integrated Mental Health therapists are trained to listen for the small cues that can indicate that a medication is not as effective as it should be or may be diminishing quality of life. For instance, a patient may reveal sexual dysfunction (a common side-effect of some antidepressants) to their therapist as a reason their relationship is failing but fail to mention this to their primary care physician. At Axis Integrated Mental Health, this would trigger the psychiatric provider to ask the patient if they want to try a different med that may not have the same side effects. In a disconnected mental health system, the opportunity to improve the patient's quality of life may never occur, simply because care providers are not talking to one another.
Therapy is usually covered by your insurance as long as the therapist is in-network with your insurance plan. When therapists are not in-network with your insurance, we make the effort to provide you with a referral for a therapist who is. We have many therapists in our network that we regularly refer out to and we will try to match you with a therapist that can help you meet your mental health goals effectively.
Finding licensed therapists in Denver and Boulder County that are in-network with insurance can be challenging these days. Axis Integrated Mental Health's in-house therapists are accepting new patients and accept most insurance plans. You do not need to take medications to see our therapists, and you can also combine therapy with non-pharmacological approaches like TMS for managing depression.
Contact Axis Integrative Mental Health at (720) 400-7025 or fill out our contact us form to learn if talk therapy is right for you.
