GeneralHow To Recommend Therapy To A Loved One

When you witness a loved one struggling, then you may understandably want to do all in your power to help them. Your go-to solution here might be to recommend therapy.

However, while your intentions may well be good, it is important to approach things the right way. People will have their own individual responses to the idea of therapy, and it can be something of a polarizing topic in some circles if it is not discussed sensitively and with tact. Consequently, you should try to map out how you might approach the subject and deliver your recommendations.

Below, you will find a few ideas to help you get started.

Respect Their Position

You will fail to convince anybody to do anything by berating them, or perhaps even by desperately pleading with them.

Remember, you are not the therapist or counsellor in this situation, and so you should not be trying to change your loved one yourself. Instead, you should be gently nudging them toward the professionals and respecting any rebuke they offer you.

Instead of pushing relentlessly, consider trying to:

• Be a good listener – Your loved one may be more welcome to your advice if you have been attentive in your discussions.
• Display empathy – Not every problem demands an immediate resolution, so try to tune yourself in with your loved one’s emotions too.
• Use your discretion – Your loved one’s challenges in life should not be the subject of idle gossip or water cooler chatter.
• Accept the word ‘no’ – Therapy is only a useful process if all parties concerned want to be present, dig deep, and make good use of each session.

As your friend or family member shares their struggles in your good confidence overtime, they may come to see you as a trusted presence in their life. After that, they be more receptive to your opinions, and your recommendations to things like therapy may be more impactful. Your suggestion of therapy may be construed as genuine helpfulness, rather than mistakenly interpreted as making your loved one somebody else’s problem.

Remain Loyal

An extension of respecting their position on matters is to remain loyal, regardless of any resistance your loved one may offer you. Your belief in their own inherent strength is what might give them the final push to therapy.

It may be helpful here to practice patience, and to increase your threshold of it too. In this aim, a helpful feature from NBC recommends ‘thinking with your purpose in mind’ and ‘reframing how you think about the situation’ that you are in. Perhaps adopting these mindsets could be useful to you? That way, you can remain committed in your goals of helping your loved one, and hopefully remain calm and understanding despite any futile moods at the start of things.

Additionally, the longer you remain loyal, the more your loved one may come to realize how much you care. The entire process might simply mean playing an elaborate waiting game before your friend feels confident enough to take the initial steps to seek help. If you are with them through thick and thin, they may come to value your advice and insight beyond your initial expectations.

Try the Services Yourself

Every therapy service has its own unique take on proceedings. The experience of one person may differ greatly to the next, and so forth.

While these differences will be ever present from person to person, you can lessen the disparity somewhat by sampling the services on offer yourself. That way, you can be more passionate and informative about the type of therapy that you are recommending, and more ‘qualified’ in terms of what you are suggesting. After all, will you be as persuasive as you hope to be if you will not try therapy yourself?

If you are interested in online therapy, then take a look at this site for greater perspective. Emote provide access to screened therapists under a strictly confidential service, with all records of interactions encrypted with the highest grade security features. It is a fraction of the cost of in-person therapy too, and easily accessible by clicking the link. You could authenticate these services yourself, should you yourself require therapy, and then refer the services onto your loved one afterward with full confidence.

Keep it Casual

Therapy can be something of a taboo word for certain people. Sadly, 47% Americans currently believe that therapy is a sign of ‘weakness’, and it is a real shame, because for many, it is the start of their path to becoming stronger people.

You should not give the impression that therapy is for those who are being unraveled by a deep-seated psychological problem or immense emotional trauma. Instead, try to evade any negative connotations of the word and keep discussions of these support arrangements loose and casual. After all, writings in major broadsheets contend that everyone needs a little therapy lately, so perhaps try to strive for a similar tone in your own dialogue.

Your lack of fear, along with your willingness to be so open about therapy, may also be infectious too. Perhaps your friend or family member will follow your lead if you are relaxed about the prospect of finding support? If you can make huge hurdles seem like small steps, your loved one’s journey should be far simpler to traverse.

Orchestrate Therapy Dog Visits

Dogs bring much joy into people’s lives, soon integrating themselves as members of the family.

If you suspect a loved one would benefit from therapy, then easing them into matters with a therapy dog could be beneficial. America’s heroes have even benefitted from their presence, with healthcare workers enjoying cuddles with all manners of breeds as a way of boosting their overall wellbeing. You could use them as an example, and it may inspire your loved one to embark on their therapy journey.

Of course, dogs are almost universally loved also. Therefore, visits from a therapy dog might just help address a few issues somewhat organically, such as loneliness, depression, or isolation. Their company could be enough to slowly turn the tables, and your therapy resistant loved one may even come to forget the professional capacity the dog has in their life. Rather, they will simply have made a friend.

This post has been sponsored by UK Linkology