An Electronic Mental Health Newsletter from Joel I. Kimmel, Ph.D., P.A. & Associates
Volume 17, Number 9
Have you ever thought of seeking therapy? Have others suggested to you that it might be helpful, but you don’t understand why? Do you see it as a personal weakness or believe that you can handle problems all by yourself? Are you concerned about sharing your personal issues with a stranger?
These are the common reasons why people often resist seeing a professional therapist.
However, since the advent of Covid and the movement towards the integration of Behavioral Health and Medicine, therapy has become more popular and more accepted. In fact, many therapists have waiting lists.
Yet, there are still many misconceptions about therapy.
This month’s e-Letter attempts to clear up some of these misconceptions by detailing the many benefits of seeing a professional therapist.
Dr. Kimmel’s monthly blog is about Blue Zones and can be found here.
This month we are also including a Career Development Coach Guest Blogger .
We hope you find the enclosed information helpful and interesting. We also thank you for reading our e-Letters. Some of the comments we received from our last e-letter, THE HELPER’S HIGH: DO YOU HAVE IT? include:
“Excellent!”
“Now I understand why I feel so good when I am handing out food at the pantry”.
“Never heard it expressed this way. I like it”.
“In addition to helping first graders learn to read, I volunteer now at the hospital.”
GUEST BLOGGER
Meredith Kimmel on Career Development Coaching
As a Career Development Coach, one of my favorite topics to work with clients on is transitioning into a new role once they have received the promotion they were going for.
I really enjoy coaching on this topic because what I have seen is that the person seeking the promotion “sells” themselves to get the promotion, but once they are in the new role, they develop imposter syndrome.
They ask themselves questions like “Why was I hired for this role?” “Did they really mean to promote me?” “Am I going to be able to make this new role work?”
That is where I come in.
I work with people to change their mindset and set goals to achieve success in their new role.
As an example, I recently had a client who wanted to work with me on this topic. But she had another layer to her issue.
My client was promoted from within and would now be supervising her prior team of peers. In this new role, she now had to deal with the imposter syndrome and figure out how to lead and manage people who were previously her equals. There was also some jealousy from her peers and others who felt that she wasn’t ready to supervise them.
We discussed and identified strategies to deal with both adjusting to the new role and managing her former peers. As a result, she successfully got her team to see her as their supervisor and all of the doubt they had went away.
My client also got comfortable being in her new role. She was so secure in this role that when another position opened, she went for it. She knew that going for the new role would be a stretch, but she decided to give it a shot.
We discussed how to interview for the position and got her resume ready. She also had a mindset where she knew the role might be out of her reach, but she was going to give it a go and was ready to accept the results.
As it turned out, she did not get the position, but she got great feedback from those that interviewed her about taking the initiative to apply for the position. She also received great feedback on how to build her skill set to apply for the same position in the future.
Right now, she is enjoying her role and works well with her team. We shall see what happens in the future with more promotion opportunities.
Meredith can be reached at [email protected] or by calling 954 655-7066.
THE BENEFITS OF SEEKING THERAPY!
(Photo by tima miroshnichenko)
Today, we live in a world full of conflict that can generate strong feelings of anxiety, anger, and frustration. Many of us live our lives with worry, unhappiness, and feelings of powerlessness. Not only does this prevent us from being happy and fulfilled, but it can affect our physical health with high blood pressure, obesity, headaches, sleep disorders, stomach distress, etc.
People often become dependent on life-long medications to cope with these physical issues. However, therapy can be extremely helpful in not only reducing these problems but can also lead to better ways of coping with daily troubles.
There are many benefits of therapy above and beyond having a major crisis, severe depression, anxiety, or navigating grief. Therapy can improve your physical health and reduce physical symptoms by reducing stress. Life satisfaction, productivity, and personal balance can be obtained and enhanced. Conflicts from the past can be put to rest.
In fact, therapy has become increasingly popular during the last few years, so much so, that many therapists have increased their caseloads and have longer waiting lists. Finding a qualified therapist today can be challenging.
Reasons for the increase in people seeking treatment include:
1. The impact of Covid and quarantine on mental health
2. The increased recognition of the impact of lifestyle and mental health on medical conditions
3. The ability to effectively have telehealth sessions which do not require travel
4. The increased acceptance of mental health issues by the millennial generation
5. The popularity of therapists in television, the movies, and other media
6. The very public statements by celebrities about their own treatment
Therapy can help you to feel happier, achieve your goals, improve the quality of your life, and reduce physical problems.
We offer the following information:
THE BENEFITS OF SEEKING THERAPY!
It’s incredibly liberating to spend an hour talking to someone and not caring about what you sound like. It’s about understanding myself. Sometimes I’ll speak to my therapist for an hour a day. It’s part of my routine… Shakira
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THERAPY!
- Being able to relate with the therapist is one of the most important factors for success
- Therapy teaches you how to express emotions constructively and appropriately
- Therapy also helps to reprogram destructive patterns from negative/painful past events
- It addresses both the causes of problems as well as everyday symptoms
- In therapy, a person can keep past events in the past, so they don’t affect present life
- Therapy can help to get unstuck by building confidence to try new behaviors, be more risk taking, and find additional ways of enjoying life
- In therapy, one can also learn what behaviors people consider to be “normal”
- Many physical symptoms such as sleep problems, relationship dysfunctions, and headaches can be resolved through therapy by reducing stress and angry feelings
- Fears of therapy include trusting an unknow person, thinking it will be painful, believing you will be judged, and expecting problems to get worse
- The effects of therapy are long-lasting; not only are problems solved but tools are developed to help with future difficulties
- Therapy is not “shrinking” but empowering; it teaches how to effectively deal with present and future conflicts
- One of the most powerful benefits of therapy is knowing that you are not alone; there is always someone you can call for support
- Therapy is both healing and revealing; when putting in the effort, it can help you start new and healthier patterns and routines, make new friends, find better jobs, identify toxic people, and make better choices
- It does take courage to enter a therapeutic relationship but the results can be worth the commitment
WHAT TO DO!
- Understand beginning therapy requires a personal commitment to face difficult emotions
- To find a qualified therapist:
- Ask someone you trust if they know of a therapist they would recommend
- Check your health plan provider directory
- Consult online databases such as Psychology Today to get info about a therapist
- Look for an experienced therapist; question how they provide therapy as well as their theoretical orientation
- Choose two or three possible therapists and view their websites for additional information
- If possible, interview them before or during the first session; see how comfortable you are and whether you think they can help you
- Seek professional help if you have difficulty coping, feel overwhelming loneliness, depression, or anxiety, or need someone to talk to you without judgment
WE PRACTICE IN-OFFICE AND TELEHEALTH VISITSAND CAN HELP!
Call us at 954 755-2885 or email us at [email protected]
Joel I. Kimmel, Ph.D. P.A. and Associates
5551 N University Drive, Suite 202
Coral Springs FL 33067
As always, we are interested in your thoughts. If you would like to respond to this e-Letter, email your comments to [email protected] and we will publish them next month.
Till October
The information provided in this electronic newsletter is not a substitute for professional treatment. It is the opinions of the writers and is provided solely for educational purposes. For mental health care, seek a qualified professional.
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Copyright © 2023 by Joel I. Kimmel, Ph.D. P.A. and Associates.
