Suffering From Grief? Find Help and Guidance Here

You may believe that your loved one needs therapy, but she might be resistant to seeking help. If this is the case, you may fear that asking your loved one to seek help will simply lead to another fight. However, there is a way to go about encouraging your loved one to seek therapy.

Be Compassionate and Non-Judgmental

Your loved one may feel very uncomfortable with the idea of seeking help, and it's important to listen and validate their feelings. Many who need to seek help will not do so if they believe that they will be judged harshly for needing help.

Make Sure That They are Seeking Treatment for Their Own Sake

Do not bring up the reasons why you believe therapy might benefit yourself. Instead, the focus needs to be on your loved one getting better. You will want to make sure that the problems you see are not simply a part of your loved one's personality.

Choose the Right Time

Pick a quiet time of the day when you are alone with the person you're trying to persuade to speak to someone. Make sure that there is nothing going on that would make your loved one nervous. Oftentimes, the type of intervention that is often shown on television is the worst way to encourage your loved one to seek help.

Be Prepared for Resistance

Do not assume that your loved one will not receive therapy just because they are resistant. If your loved one wanted therapy, she would have already sought it out by now. Therefore, you will need to do some convincing. Start out by talking about the things that you like about your loved one and then start talking about the areas in which you are concerned.

Make sure to not talk about the issues you are concerned about in a harsh manner. For example, if you are concerned with your loved one's inappropriate outbursts, do not label her as "unstable," or "crazy." Instead, focus on the behavior you're concerned about.

Know What to Expect from Adult Counseling

The first adult counseling session is very easy because your loved one will simply be getting to know her therapist and the therapist will be trying to figure out the best way to move forward. For example, the counselor might ask about the symptoms and what brought her to therapy. This is the first step in a road to better mental health.

If you're considering adult counseling services with your loved one, talk to a local therapist today to see if they might be a good fit.