Author: In Balance Counseling

Are you concerned about a loved one’s mental health? You might wonder how to get someone to go to therapy if they don’t want help.

In Balance Counseling provides counseling services in Tucson, AZ. Keep reading to discover how we suggest you approach this difficult conversation. For help, or to learn more, contact us at 520-722-9631.

Prepare for the Discussion

To prepare for the conversation, consider your own boundaries. How much are you willing to share about your own experiences, and how much time and energy can you dedicate toward helping the person?

Find a comfortable and private space to have the conversation, turn off your phones to avoid interruptions, and make sure you schedule plenty of time so you won’t feel rushed.

Whether you’re approaching someone about couples therapy or finding help with an addiction, researching therapists beforehand can help you suggest tangible options.

Use “I” Statements

To help maintain a non-judgemental approach, focus on how you want to help and why you’re worried about the person. Instead of using statements like “you make me feel angry,” use I-focused statements, such as “I feel worried when I see you can’t stop drinking.” 

These statements help a person feel more cared for than attacked, and they’re more likely to listen rather than become defensive.

Choose Good Timing

Choose a time free of distractions such as hunger, their to-do list, or children. After dinner when the children are in bed, but before they get too tired, is an excellent time to schedule this difficult conversation.

Share Personal Experience

If you’re wondering how to get someone to go to therapy, try sharing your own experience. Don’t violate your boundaries, but sharing how therapy can help you is a great tactic for convincing someone else to go. Frame the story in the following way:

• Any doubts you had before going to therapy
• What you struggled with, and how it negatively impacted your life
• What you experienced during the process
• How has your life better since the treatment

Offer Logistical Help

Sometimes, the biggest thing keeping someone from seeking therapy is all the logistical challenges. If you can offer to help with some of the following, they might be more likely to seek therapy:

• Researching therapists
• Transportation
• Insurance and payment

Don’t Go Too Far

Seeking mental health treatment is a personal decision, and many people bring a complicated combination of skepticism, motivation, financial issues, and other factors to the conversation. While it’s important the person knows you care about them and believe therapy will make their life better, know when to stop the conversation.

Maybe all you can do is plant the seed, or maybe you can fully convince them. But if they start feeling agitated or angry, end the discussion.

Let In Balance Counseling 

Are you still wondering how to get someone to go to therapy? It’s a difficult conversation, but In Balance Counseling can help.

If you or a loved one are seeking therapy, In Balance Counseling offers compassionate and knowledgeable mental health treatment. To book an appointment, call 520-722-9631 today.

Loss or anticipating future loss is extremely difficult for people of all ages to endure. Whether it is losing a job, pet, or loved one, grief is a natural response that kids, teens, and adults may face. A common recommendation for those struggling with such loss is grief counseling, but many wonder, “What is grief counseling?”

Learn more about some key grief counseling techniques, the benefits of seeking the services, and who grief counseling can help. After reading, reach out to In Balance Counseling, a compassionate counseling center in Tucson, AZ. We offer intensive outpatient and individual counseling services.

What Is Grief Counseling?

Professional counselors can help people understand grief, process a traumatic event or situation, and share their thoughts and feelings. They can experience life after loss in a healthy way and accept the situation while making space for emotions and changes. 

You might consider seeking help for your mental health if you’re in the grieving process and experiencing major depression. Grief counseling is a safe and healthy outlet for people of all ages to manage and work through their grief symptoms. It’s especially vital if someone doesn’t have social support while grieving a loss, as counseling can offer compassion and a listening ear.

Common Techniques in Grief Counseling

Grief counselors may take different approaches based on their patients and the type of loss they’ve experienced. During grief counseling, a counselor might encourage talk therapy (discussing the loss) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to change unhealthy or negative thought patterns into positive ones. Some other techniques are acceptance and commitment therapy and complicated grief treatment.

Counselors could also use mindfulness, ritual-focused counseling, or narrative therapy to help their patients grieve a loss.

How Grief Counseling Helps People

Everyone can take something different away from their grief counseling sessions. Grief counseling often helps people to:

• Live their lives with meaning
• Honor the memories of their loved ones
• Deal with reminders of their loss
• Talk about how they feel
• Understand death and loss
• Maintain and improve their current relationships
• Decrease feelings of pain, anxiety, sadness, and more
• Navigate fears and anxieties from their grief
• Work through painful feelings

Who Can Benefit From Grief Counseling?

Grief affects people in different ways, but families and individuals can benefit from grief counseling.

• Children. Kids process grief differently and may have a harder time processing a major loss. Grief counseling gives them an outlet and place to understand loss and move forward.
• Teenagers. Many teenagers struggle to cope in a healthy way while grieving, but counseling can help.
• Adults. Some adults may have a difficult time accepting life after loss and processing emotions in a healthy manner.
• Families. Family members can disconnect after a loss or gravitate toward one another — grief counseling can address challenges.

Schedule Individual Counseling Services with Tucson’s Caring Counseling Group

Now that we’ve covered “What is grief counseling?” you might be considering seeking therapy or counseling services. You can contact In Balance Counseling in Tucson, AZ, to learn more about our individual counseling services and IOPs for substance abuse. Call us at (520) 722-9631.

If you’re living with bulimia or anorexia, you might look for coping skills for eating disorders. Below, we explain nine strategies to help you cope with eating disorders.

As a compassionate provider of counseling in Tucson, our team at In Balance Counseling helps patients manage their eating disorders and live healthier and happier lives. To see what our mental health professionals can do for you, call 520-722-9631.

1. Find a Support System

No one should deal with a mental illness alone, and having a strong support system is a major factor in successful treatment. Seek help both from a mental health professional and from your friends and family. If the people in your life remain unsupportive, ask your therapist for help finding a new social circle or support group.

2. Start Journaling

Journaling helps identify latent or subconscious emotions and offers a cathartic release. For the greatest effect, write about everything ranging from your failings and complaints about your day to positive affirmations and goals for your life.

3. Prioritize Relaxation

Stress and a perceived lack of control are significant triggering factors for eating disorders. Find time each day to do something you enjoy and relax. It can be a hot bath, spending time with a coloring book, or hanging in a hammock by a lake.

4. Practice Mediation

Emotion-oriented coping refers to the process of changing the way you feel about a situation. Practicing meditation and mindfulness allows you some control over how you react to stressful situations and better mitigates the compulsions and obsessions associated with eating disorders.

5. Try Yoga

One of the best coping skills for eating disorders is practicing regular yoga. The breathing techniques and concentration on bodily movement allow your body time to process and release endorphins and other neurotransmitters that increase your feeling of well-being.

Early research suggests that regular yoga decreases depression, body dysmorphia, and anxiety.

6. Find a New Hobby

Learning a new skill or hobby can bring greater joy to your life and distract you from those urges that tempt you to relapse. Eating disorders thrive on a lack of impulse control, so occupying your mind with consistent activity reduces the frequency of those impulses.

7. Increase Socialization

Much like finding a system for support is necessary, frequently engaging in social events can help you feel more control over your life, distract you from the disorder’s impulses, and increase the encouragement and accountability available to you.

8. Avoid Diet Culture

Avoidance-oriented coping refers to removing yourself from triggering situations. Avoid places and conversations that deal with diet culture, which is a toxic mindset for anyone dealing with an eating disorder.

9. Stay Mindful of Your Habits

Task-oriented coping strategies help you solve a problem or alter a situation. Work with your support system to identify harmful habits and routines around food and change them to support your new lifestyle.

In Balance Counseling Can Help You Cope With Eating Disorders

When you need help developing coping skills for eating disorders, seeking therapy with In Balance Counseling can help. For effective and compassionate support, book an appointment by calling 520-722-9631.