CHENNAI: ‘Will therapy solve all my problems?’, ‘Where and how do I start?’, ‘How much can I share with a stranger?’...Over the past year, with the pandemic and its repercussions taking a toll on mental health, finding the right therapist or contemplating how therapy could help has become even more crucial. Offering a checklist for first-timers while zeroing in on their therapist, was a session on World Mental Health Day by Backyard in collaboration with Raushni Khanna, a mental health professional. Khanna specialises in working with people aged 18 to 35 on issues related to relationships, self-esteem, work & career guidance, body image, adjustment & transition, marital & family issues, and couples counselling.
The hour-long virtual session touched upon the difference between talking to a loved one and therapist, qualities of a good therapist, resources to find a therapist, and questions to ask your therapist before you begin the process. All in an effort to create awareness around the taboo topic and encourage youngsters to seek help at the earliest.
Raushni kicked off the session by busting a few myths about therapy. “Therapy is not for weak or crazy people but anyone who’s in mental distress. Just because you had a failed therapy once, it does not mean therapy isn’t for you. The role of counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists differ. So, read up on their qualifications. Do not expect to see a difference within one or two sessions as it’s a gradual process and a subjective experience. And, your therapist may not always be right so feel free to disagree because we’re humans after all and tend to make mistakes.”
Walking us through the guidelines of qualities to look for in a therapist, she emphasised, “Your therapist must be non-judgemental. (S)he must not be looking to fix or heal you but support or guide you in finding your way. It’s healthy to have a collaborative process instead of one person taking the call. (S)he must be willing to learn from mistakes, set appropriate boundaries, and make you feel safe. Sharing feedback can help them monitor your progress and refer you to someone if they cannot help you.”
Addressing the third crucial step on how and where to find your therapist, she suggested, “You can go with a referral from an acquaintance (not a close friend or relative as they may know you). Webinars like this where you can get a feel of the professional is a good place to decide. Practo.com is effective. A friend or relative in the field may be able to suggest better based on your needs. Hospitals, LinkedIn and NGOs are a few other options to identify genuine professionals.”
To ensure you have a hassle-free experience from start to finish, Khanna pointed out some ethical guidelines of therapy. “A person pretending to take therapy can be punished by law. Therapists should promote the client’s autonomy and encourage them to make decisions on their own. It’s not advisable to have any relationship with clients that can be detrimental to the process. Therapists should be mindful of confidentiality and when it can be broken. The client must be informed in case of termination of therapy.”
Therapy can be helpful in many ways, she assured. There’s a professional assessment done on you to see if there’s anything to look into. It gives you a space to vent without being judged. Therapists can help you dig deeper by employing a specific form of approach that may suit you. Having said all this, it’s common that most of us tend to fall back on our loved ones for suggestions or indulge in self-diagnosis which could be harmful. “Your loved ones might have their own biases about you. And, chances are high that the conversation might digress with multiple distractions around. While therapy is expensive, at least you have the assurance that it’s a trustworthy person. Do not hesitate to spend on your mental health when you don’t think twice to splurge on other things,” she insisted.
Khanna stressed the importance of having a conversation with the therapist before the sessions begin. “Therapists are transparent about the method they are going to implement, the cost per session and whether the sessions are going to be in-person or virtual. It’s good to get your queries sorted rather than stopping midway,” she advised. With plenty of takeaways, the session concluded with an interactive segment.