Therapy is a commitment of time and money, and it can be costly. So, how can you best get your money’s worth with therapy?
Choose your therapist wisely- There are a lot of well -meaning therapists out there who are good at lending a supportive ear but not really good at helping effect change. If you are making this financial commitment for therapy, you likely want to see some concrete and lasting results.
Be clear about your goals for therapy- People typically can easily identify their problems but they may have difficulty identifying what changes they want to achieve as a result of therapy. Your therapist can also help you narrow down your goals early in treatment. This is important because it will help you stay focused and will make your therapy more effective.
Commit fully to therapy- What you put into therapy is what you will get out of it. If you are late to your sessions, you are basically cheating yourself out of money because your therapist most likely will still end the session on time. You will want the full session so that you are getting your money’s worth and so you have time to fully address your issues. Also, if you feel that you will only commit to coming to therapy for one or two sessions, you likely aren’t going to get very far. It is just like if you join a gym and only go for a couple of weeks- is that going to result in lasting change- nope!
Real life practice- If your therapist recommends some specific practice assignments in between sessions, follow through. We often tell our clients that we are just with them for an hour or so a week, and that the other 163 hours in the week, they are on their own. The real change comes when you begin taking action and implementing changes based upon what you have learned from the therapy.
Healthcare Reimbursement: Remember, psychotherapy is a healthcare expense. That means that your health insurance may reimburse you, even though our services are considered ‘out-of-network.” Also, FSA or HAS may help cover your costs as well.
Therapy Pays Off in the Long Run- Therapy can be a wise investment that may help you in the long run financially. How so, you may ask? Well, stress or untreated mental health conditions can result in greater medical care costs in the future. Also, therapy can improve a person’s job performance. Untreated mental health issues can result in more sick days, decreased productivity and possible burnout from work. Therapy can also help with relationships and family issues. The monetary cost of divorce often is much more than the cost of therapy.
In summary, only you can decide if therapy is right for you. One consideration could be the cost/benefit of therapy. It is true that therapy costs are spent up front and that it may take time for you to see a return on your investment. But perhaps even more importantly, are the intangible improvements in the quality of your life which cannot be measured in dollar signs.
Investing in therapy is investing in yourself
- April 29, 2022
- , 6:00 am
- , Growth, Therapy
Most important are the intangible improvements in the quality of your life, which cannot be measured in dollar signs.
Therapy is a commitment of time and money, and it can be costly. So, how can you best get your money’s worth with therapy?
Choose your therapist wisely. There are a lot of well-meaning therapists out there who are good at lending a supportive ear, but not so much at helping effect change. If you are making this financial commitment for therapy, you likely want to see some concrete and lasting results. The right therapist can help you do this.
Be clear about your goals for therapy. People typically can easily identify their problems but they may have difficulty identifying what changes they want to achieve as a result of therapy. Your therapist can also help you narrow down your goals early in treatment. This is important because it will help you stay focused and will make your therapy more effective.
Commit fully to therapy. What you put into therapy is what you will get out of it. If you are late to your sessions, you are basically cheating yourself out of money because your therapist most likely will still end the session on time. You will want the full session so that you are getting your money’s worth and so you have time to fully address your issues. Also, if you feel that you will only commit to coming to therapy for one or two sessions, you likely aren’t going to get very far. It is just like if you join a gym and only go for a couple of weeks. Will just a couple workouts result in lasting change? Nope!
Complete the real-life practice. If your therapist recommends some specific practice assignments in between sessions, follow through. We often tell our clients that we are just with them for an hour or so a week, and that the other 160-odd hours in the week, they are on their own. The real change comes when you begin taking action and implementing changes based upon what you have learned from the therapy.
Take advantage of health care reimbursement. Psychotherapy is a healthcare expense. That means that your health insurance may reimburse you, even though our services are considered ‘out-of-network.” Also, FSA or HAS may help cover your costs as well.
Remember that therapy pays off in the long run. Therapy can be a wise investment that may help you in the long run financially. How so, you may ask? Well, stress or untreated mental health conditions can result in greater medical care costs in the future. Also, therapy can improve a person’s job performance. Untreated mental health issues can result in more sick days, decreased productivity and possible burnout from work. Therapy can also help with relationships and family issues. The monetary cost of divorce often is much more than the cost of therapy.
In summary, only you can decide if therapy is right for you. One consideration could be the cost/benefit of therapy. It is true that therapy costs are spent up front and that it may take time for you to see a return on your investment. But perhaps even more important are the intangible improvements in the quality of your life which cannot be measured in dollar signs.
