Therapy is a positive way to deal with trauma, pain, or any issue you have in life so you can become a healthier and happier person. When you develop coping skills, learn how to let go of negativity, set boundaries, or deal with certain situations in a positive manner, you can finally start living a full life.

If there’s anything in life that you’re struggling with, or if any situations or relationships are starting to interfere in your daily functioning, it might be time to start thinking about therapy.

However, you don’t have to wait for a crisis moment in your life to see a therapist. You don’t have to live in suffering. You can see a therapist when things are going really well in your life, or when you’re about to go through a big life transition.

There are many benefits of therapy and many types of therapy. Below are 10 of the benefits you may expect from attending therapy.

1. Improve communication skills

Therapy can help you learn how to have healthy, productive, positive communication skills. Being able to effectively communicate in a healthy way means you can successfully navigate virtually all areas of your life. Whether you tend to shy away from confrontation, get angry too quickly, or feel anxiety when having a direct conversation, therapy can help you gain the skills you need to feel confident any time you’re communicating with others.

2. Learn to resolve conflict

If you find it challenging to successfully handle any type of conflict in your life, therapy can be beneficial. It can help you with being direct with your needs and confidently ask for things that you hope to get out of relationships and situations.

3. Treat mental health conditions

Therapy can be effective in treating a number of mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression, PTSD, (OCD), and more. Putting your mental health first and getting the help you need is a sign of strength and something to be proud of.

Getting to the root of what’s causing a mental health condition is one of the most beneficial parts of working with a therapist because it can be incredibly freeing. Processing your core beliefs and hurts helps to create long-term behavior changes in your life. If you don’t get to the crux of the issue, it’s like putting a band aid on a major wound — it might stop the bleeding in the moment, but it won’t help in the long term.

4. Increased self-awareness

Therapy is a great way for individuals to better understand themselves, including their emotional and mental health, life experiences, and overall behavior. Through self-reflection, you can discover how your own thoughts, emotions, and patterns may be preventing you from moving forward in life and leading a healthier, happier lifestyle.

5. Collaborate with your family

Therapy can be very useful in overcoming internal family struggles. With both individual therapy and family therapy options, a therapist can help mend bridges and develop healthy communication strategies that can help families to overcome trauma, grief, addiction issues, and more. Whether you get individual therapy or seek family therapy, you are sure to see some improvements within your familial relationships.

6. Develop coping skills and strategies

Having a plan of action is key if you want to face any of your struggles head-on. Mental health therapy teaches you how to develop strong coping skills and strategies. Armed with these coping skills, you’ll be able to offset things that are holding you back in your life. When you know how to positively and productively work through issues and problems, you’ll be able to grow and overcome just about anything that tries to stand in your way.

7. Learn to find healthy, positive support

Having the right support to get through those tough periods in life can be a game-changer. If you have a difficult time finding a strong support system, you hate asking for help, or you tend to attract toxic relationships that don’t add value to your life, therapy might be able to help. During mental health treatment, you can focus on changing the behaviors and thought patterns you currently exhibit, which are likely contributing to any difficulties you’re having.

8. Stronger relationships

Therapy can help improve relationships by providing individuals with the tools to communicate more effectively, set healthy boundaries, and work through conflicts. Through therapy, you can gain insight into your own patterns of behavior and communication, which can lead to more fulfilling and satisfying relationships with friends, family, and romantic partners.

9. Change negative emotions and thought patterns

What we think, we manifest. If you’re consumed with negative emotions and negative thoughts that are interfering with your life, therapy can help. You’ll learn to first identify what you’re doing and then begin to retrain your brain to think about and approach situations differently. Anything from facing conflict to addressing your fears to breaking dysfunction in your relationships can be addressed through a therapy session. It works by changing negative thoughts and negative thought patterns.

10. Alter negative behaviors

Like our thoughts, sometimes our behaviors become detrimental. They can keep us from living a positive and healthy lifestyle. Maybe you struggle with addiction, or you tend to self-sabotage, or there are other negative ways you behave. Therapy can help you alter those behaviors that are having a negative impact on your world and relationships.