Author: In Balance Counseling

Eight Signs You Need Therapy That Shouldn’t Be Ignored

Unfortunately, many people neglect their mental health. They wait so long to get help that by the time they come for a counseling service in Tucson, it takes them a long time to parse through their mental health issues.

Don’t neglect your mental health. Let’s look at the eight signs you need therapy and should consider mental health treatment from In Balance Counseling.

1. You’re Consistently Overwhelmed

Being overwhelmed is the worst. As mental health conditions go, it’s challenging to overcome because it feels like you’re fighting a losing battle, negatively impacting your long-term health. However, you don’t have to go through it alone!

2. Your Anxiety Is Taking Over

Whether you’re overwhelmed or not, anxiety feels like you’re constantly drowning and can’t come up for air. It creates intrusive thoughts that undermine your confidence and cause you to worry about every little thing you do. Fortunately, behavioral therapy can help!

3. You’ve Stopped Caring About Things

One of the first signs of clinical depression is apathy. Research shows that therapy and routine counseling can help treat the symptoms of clinical depression. It is crucial to seek out help before the depression worsens.

4. You’re Eating Habits Have Changed

Overeating and undereating are both serious health concerns that can cause lasting damage to your mental and physical health. A change in eating habits could be symptomatic of a more significant mental health issue. Therapy is the best way to find the underlying cause.

5. Your Sleeping Habits Have Changed

Like food, sleep is vital for your health. Loss of sleep usually comes from stress, anxiety, or depression; however, excessive sleep is also a sign of depression.

One of the most prominent signs you need therapy is constantly sleeping late or refusing to get out of bed in the morning.

6. You Experienced Major Trauma

If you lost an influential family member or recently experienced another traumatic event, you need to find some way to express that discomfort. Bottling it up is the worst thing you can do for your health. Grieving is healthy as long as you do it the right way and in the company of others.

7. Your Social Life Has Dwindled

Self-isolation is a significant health concern for mental health professionals. People are naturally social, so isolating yourself is a cause for concern. Find someone with whom you can have healthy conversations, and consider scheduling a therapy session.

8. You’re Coping by Using Substances

Many people try to dull their feelings with alcohol or drugs. However, the pain never disappears, and the drugs or alcohol eventually stop working. 

If you’re going through something, don’t try to do it alone. It’s better for you to share your problems with another person because it makes them easier to bear. No matter what types of therapy you need, we are here to help you!

If any of these signs you need therapy apply to you, please call the mental health professionals of In Balance Counselling at (520) 722-9631. You can set an appointment to learn more about our intensive outpatient program and get the help you need.

Debunking the 7 Most Common Counseling Myths

If you’re considering professional mental support, you may have heard some counseling myths and be wondering if they’re true. This article will debunk seven of the most common counseling myths and show why counseling can be beneficial to anyone. Read on, and then schedule helpful counseling in Tucson, AZ, at In Balance Counseling.

Debunking Common Myths About Counseling

Myth #1 – Professional Counseling Is Unnecessary

While having friends and family to talk to is nice, you might not always feel comfortable being completely honest with them. Unlike those with firmly established views of who you are, a professional counselor will remain objective and will never judge your thoughts or feelings.

Myth #2 – Professional Counseling Is a Quick Fix

Many think they will only need one or two sessions to work through their issues. The fact is that there is no quick fix or one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to mental health.

Professional counseling will help you better understand yourself and allow you to work on your strengths, weaknesses, and worldviews for improved mental health.

Myth #3 – Seeking Counseling Indicates Personal Weakness

You might have heard that seeking professional counseling is a sign of weakness, but this simply is not true. The fact that you understand you need some outside help shows that you are brave and have the inner strength to recognize that need.

Myth #4 – Counseling Harms My Future Work or Academic Opportunities

You might think having or treating a mental illness will negatively impact your future opportunities. However, the truth is that you are showing initiative and emotional intelligence by acknowledging that you need assistance with your mental health issues, and institutions will see that.

Myth #5 – Once I Start Professional Counseling, I Won’t Be Able To Stop

This misconception often prevents individuals from seeking counseling, even when they know they need assistance to improve their mental health. You will not be stuck with a lifetime of counseling sessions if you begin seeing a counselor. Rather, you and your counselor will work together to evaluate your progress as you go, and you may reach a point where you no longer need counseling.

Myth #6 – Counselors Only Listen Without Helping

Counseling is a constructive process that aims to help you help yourself. Counselors do much more than just listen to you to vent about your problems. Your counselor will ask questions to clarify details, identify problematic thought patterns, and collaborate with you to help you define and reach specific goals.

Myth #7 – Seeking Counseling Means I’m Failing to be Independent

You don’t have to try to identify and solve the issues in your life alone. Seeking an expert in mental health will help you become more knowledgeable about yourself and the problems you are facing in life so that you can overcome obstacles more effectively.

Learn More About Scheduling Counseling

Now that you know those counseling myths aren’t true, you can begin your journey into mental health with professional counseling sessions at In Balance Counseling in Tucson, AZ. Learn more about the programs we offer, and call us today at 520-722-9631

Why Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Effective?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used forms of therapy worldwide. Therapists rely on it to treat different disorders, which has proven very effective over the years.

CBT is a considerable part of the intensive outpatient program in Tucson by In Balance Counseling. Read on for the answer to “why is cognitive behavioral therapy effective?”

What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of therapy that explores the connections between our thoughts and behavior. It helps people understand and challenge negative thoughts. It takes place over a fixed number of sessions.  

The goal of CBT includes the following:

  • Teach the patient how to recover from a despondency caused by mental health disorders and stress 
  • Help the patient to learn strategies to help themselves without the need for a therapist
  • Encourage patients to challenge negative beliefs and recognize positive ways to tackle life situations and achieve positive outcomes
  • Help patients live active, fulfilling lives

Why CBT is Highly Effective

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is effective because it relies on the cognitive model of emotional response. The model states that our behaviors and feelings come from our thoughts instead of external stimuli.

CBT embraces a problem-focused and goal-oriented approach and doesn’t rely on psychoanalysis. It is highly engaging, and the patient is accountable for the therapy results.

The therapy approach focuses on the present instead of analyzing the patient’s historical development. Most CBT treatments require five to twenty sessions to show results. Other therapies will require months or years of multiple sessions to generate similar results.

One of the answers to “why is cognitive behavioral therapy effective?” is that CBT is an excellent form of therapy for helping patients understand how they can change their lives by changing their thoughts. It doesn’t try to change past fears or actions.

It also gives patients hope about their condition. It achieves this by highlighting how our thoughts are not always an accurate depiction of reality.

Most mental health conditions thrive off negative thoughts. CBT breaks the pattern and brings clarity.

What Conditions Can CBT Help Treat?

CBT can help with the following mental health conditions:

  • Anxiety. CBT is an effective therapy for different types of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, panic disorder, and phobias.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). CBT treats OCD by trying to understand the causes of unwanted intrusive thoughts.
  • Eating disorders. CBT effectively treats various eating disorders, including binge eating and bulimia nervosa.
  • Bipolar disorder. CBT addresses the feeling of guilt and other thoughts and beliefs that accompany manic episodes.

Get Outpatient Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Tucson, AZ

We hope we’ve answered the question “why is cognitive behavioral therapy effective?” in this post. Do you have any questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out.

At In Balance Counseling, we provide high-quality intensive outpatient services in a group setting for people dealing with drug and alcohol abuse and those dealing with co-occurring mental health issues.

Learn more about our intensive outpatient program.

Call In Balance Counseling at 520-722-9631 for quality CBT treatment in Tucson, AZ.