12/15/2025
Psychotherapy isn't just for dealing with a mental health crisis - it can help bolster your mental health and reduce the risk of struggling with your mental health down the road. By normalizing therapy, we open up to the concept that therapy is here to help us further understand ourselves, improve our relationships, and improve our overall mental wellbeing.
Psychotherapy is one important way to reduce the risk of mental health issues or a relapse.
Studies suggest that one of the key ingredients to good psychotherapy is enhacing your "reflective functioning"- your ability to recognize your feelings, your thoughts, the situation you are in and maintain perspective while knowing how to handle your situation in the most effective manner.
That being said, not all psychotherapy or psychotherapists are equal. Apart from the strength of the therapeutic alliance you create with your psychotherapist, they've found that the most effective psychotherapists are the ones that themselves have a high level of reflecting capacity, which in turn can help bring that out in the client sitting across from them. That's why as a psychiatrist, I myself have gone though psychotherapy, and will continue to do so as I continue in my career and seek ongoing personal growth.
Let's lose the stigma around going to psychotherapy, so we aren't standing in the way of a happier, healthier life.
