Why going to therapy when things are fine is the smartest thing you can do

Turns out waiting till you hit rock bottom isn’t the only option.

Key Takeaways

• Therapy doesn’t have to wait for a crisis—going proactively, before you “need” it, can prevent smaller issues from snowballing into bigger ones down the line.
• A therapist who already knows your history can help you more effectively when a real crisis does hit, rather than having to piece together context under pressure.
• “Maintenance” sessions build lasting skills, helping you reinforce coping techniques, track progress, and stay prepared for future challenges.

We already know how beneficial therapy is to our overall well-being: It helps us process everything from grief to life’s daily stressors while better navigating the complexities of our emotions. Still, people assume that when you say you have a therapy appointment, you’ve hit rock bottom—but that’s not always the case.

Therapists say that going to therapy when things are seemingly “fine” is actually one of the best things you can do for your mental health. So, if you’ve been hesitant to book that session because, well, nothing’s really going on at the moment, here’s your official sign to take the leap. Ahead, therapists share why proactive therapy is so helpful, plus what you can actually expect from those “maintenance” sessions.

Meet Our Expert

• Katie Rose, LCSW, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist
• Amber Kinney, licensed mental health counselor based in Indianapolis

Why Should I Go To Therapy Before I “Need” It?

Waiting to go to therapy until you are literally hitting rock bottom is not the only choice—and it’s one that could be halting you from real, long-term growth.

“I tell people all the time that therapy can be proactive, not just reactive. It’s better to get help as soon as you can, rather than waiting until it gets worse,” says Amber Kinney, licensed mental health counselor based in Indianapolis. “I compare it by saying, ‘Would you take your car in when the check engine light comes on, or will you wait until there’s smoke and fire coming out of it?’”

She says that the longer you wait, the more that will eventually need to be addressed in therapy, making the recovery process even longer.

According to Katie Rose, LCSW, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist, going to therapy before you “need” it can help you benefit more from it when a potential crisis arises. “Often, when someone comes to therapy when they are already in crisis, many of the details of their life and their situation get flattened for the sake of time,” Rose says. “When a therapist already knows their patient and their history, those situations can be used more effectively to help the patient get out of their sticky situation.”

Plus, you may just learn some techniques beforehand so that if a crisis occurs, you’re more emotionally equipped to handle it. These techniques can also help you develop self-trust, so that when problems occur, you’re able to more confidently address them and give yourself grace and understanding. “The reality is that proactive therapy allows an individual to deepen their self-understanding and self-trust,” Rose says. “Whether that’s through actively exploring their values, beliefs, and systems that support and hinder their success or examining past experiences to make new, more useful meanings.”

What Does Proactive Therapy Look Like?

If you’ve never gone to therapy before or have only booked an appointment when something dire is going on, you may not know what there even is to talk about when things are going alright. But “maintenance” appointments are actually some of the most important mental health interventions.

“We talk about stressors going on, how they’ve handled it, things coming up in the future that might be challenging, and how they can maintain their progress or keep using coping skills they’ve learned,” Rose says. “It helps them not to forget the techniques and lessons from therapy. And it can be preventive too: In case anything comes up, they already have support set up.”

Booking that session now doesn’t just benefit present you, but also future you. If nothing else, you’ll have a guaranteed time to vent about what’s going on in life and gain a little more insight on how to deal with it all.

Read the original article on Real Simple