It is a good idea to suggest your loved one see a therapist if they could benefit from help or advice outside of your comfort level or expertise. Often, we are too close to a person or situation to be fully objective.

 

It is extremely important to recommend a therapist when your loved one expresses feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or makes statements about life being better without them around. You may also want to recommend a therapist if a friend or loved one has been feeling anxious, down, stuck, or unable to maintain their family, personal, or work responsibilities.

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It can feel tricky recommending therapy to a loved one because of the stigma often associated with seeking mental health treatment.  Others may assume that seeking mental health treatment is a sign of weakness, or that seeing a therapist means a person is “crazy.” This could not be farther from the truth. Many of us have been taught that we should “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps," "forget about it," or “handle it on our own." At Compassionate Healing, we believe that seeking therapy is a sign of strength and that therapy can help improve life satisfaction and alleviate unnecessary pain and suffering.