Chapter 17: Problem 4

When should a person seek psychotherapy? Explain your answer.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Psychotherapy should be sought when a person's emotional or mental health becomes a deterrent to their daily life. This might include persistent feelings of sadness or anxiety, regular conflicts with those close to them, ineffective self-help strategies, and impaired daily functioning. In summary, if an individual's quality of life is adversely affected to a significant degree by their emotional or mental state, psychotherapy can play a crucial role in remediation and recovery.

Step by step solution

Identifying psychotherapeutic need

The need for psychotherapy can emerge at various moments for different individuals. It generally becomes necessary when an individual's emotional or mental wellbeing is impaired, affecting their day-to-day life. This can be recognized through indicators such as persistent feelings of sadness, consistent anxiety, regular conflicts with loved ones, and so on. Hence, this warrants the necessity to seek psychotherapy.

Persistent Symptoms

When symptoms are severe and persistent, interfering with health, productivity, and relationships, it could indicate a need for professional help. Overwhelming stress, a sense of helplessness or sadness, an inability to concentrate, and drastic changes in eating or sleeping habits are strong indicators of a possible mental health issue that warrants psychotherapy.

Ineffective Self-Help

When various self-help strategies such as talking to friends or family, exercising, and changing daily routines fail to alleviate symptoms, it might be indicative of the need for professional assistance. The role of psychotherapy is to provide a professional perspective and specialized solutions that are beyond the domain of self-help coping strategies.

Impaired daily Functioning

Another critical indicator of the potential need for psychotherapy is when, despite best efforts, the mental health issue significantly interferes with daily functioning. This can include trouble maintaining performance at work or school, difficulties in maintaining relationships, and an inability to participate in regular day-to-day activities.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

Full Textbook Solutions
Get detailed explanations and key concepts
Unlimited Al creation
Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...
Ads-free access
To over 500 millions flashcards
Money-back guarantee
We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

Recommended explanations on Psychology Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

When should a person seek psychotherapy? Explain your answer.

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Identifying psychotherapeutic need

Persistent Symptoms

Ineffective Self-Help

Impaired daily Functioning

One App. One Place for Learning.

Most popular questions from this chapter

Recommended explanations on Psychology Textbooks

Developmental Psychology

Approaches in Psychology

Biological Bases of Behavior

Sensation and Perception

Social Psychology

Psychological Treatment

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.