Talking for better mental health

A problem shared is a problem halved, they say. And it’s true. If you’re depressed, unhappy or you have emotional issues, talking about your thoughts, feelings and behaviour can really help.

According to the NHS, for many adults talking therapy may be the same or even more effective than medication. Indeed, several studies suggest talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may work as well for some people with depression as taking antidepressants.

After all, if you’re worried about something and simply bottle it up – only to turn it over and over in your mind – chances are you’ll become even more anxious. But according to the Mental Health Foundation, talking about it could help you work out what’s really bothering you and to explore what you could do about it.

Who should you talk to?

Sometimes when you’re unhappy or bothered by something, all you may need is a friendly, sympathetic ear. While friends aren’t officially qualified to offer advice or counselling, the benefits of having an informal chat with someone you know and trust can be enormous; just being listened to can be very supportive, making you feel cared for and appreciated.

On the other hand, researchers have found many people feel more comfortable opening up about personal issues and feelings with someone they don’t know, rather than someone they’re close to.

There are several theories why this may be the case. For instance, many of us prefer to promote a strong, healthy and fun-loving image of ourselves to our friends rather than that of someone in distress. Or perhaps it’s because we feel a stranger – such as a trained counsellor or therapist – will understand our feelings, respect our opinions and not judge us.

Trained therapists are also better equipped to support you than friends or those who haven’t been trained. Because they’ve studied to become therapists they can apply a structured approach to the help they offer, based on accepted psychological theories.

Whatever you say to a therapist will also be treated as private and confidential, which may help you to talk about things more deeply. And a therapist may be more equipped than a friend to help you find new ways to think about the things that are bothering you, as well as challenging any beliefs and behaviours you may have that aren’t doing you any favours.

In London, the Camden Hub mental health centre is even giving mental health training to barbers working in local barbershops, since men are often thought to be less likely to share their problems than women. The barbers are trained by professionals in how to talk to their customers, as well as where to direct them should they need more support.

What are talking therapies?

There are several types of talking therapies, each of which is based on a different psychological theory. According to the mental health charity Mind, there are broadly speaking 2 main theory traditions, one that started in Europe and the other in America.

Here in Europe, therapists became more interested in why people think and feel the way they do, and developed therapies to help us understand our thoughts and feelings. An example of this type of therapy is psychodynamic therapy.

Meanwhile the American tradition explored the issue of how our behaviour and thought patterns affect how we feel. They developed therapies – such as CBT – that aim to change  people’s behaviours, leading to an improvement in the way they feel.

Here are some of the main therapies you may come across:

Psychodynamic therapy

This is the type of therapy that originated from the work of psychotherapist Sigmund Freud. It looks at how your personality and early life experiences may be affecting your thoughts, feelings, relationships and behaviour. Treatment can often take several months or years.

CBT

As previously explained, CBT looks at how changing the way you think and behave can help you feel better. Treatment is usually short – often between 6 and 24 one-hour sessions.

Dialectic behaviour therapy (DBT)

This mixes some of the methods used in CBT with meditation techniques, and often involves both individual and group therapy.

Mindfulness therapy

This also combines talking therapies with meditation, and aims to help people to switch off from difficult thoughts and feelings.

Humanistic therapy

Developed to offer an alternative to psychodynamic and behavioural therapies, humanistic therapies claim to help you develop your full potential by taking a whole-person approach to your problem.

There are of course many other types of talking therapies, including life coaching, telephone counselling, art or music therapy, group therapies and relationship or family therapies.

Here at CABA, we offer different ways to help when you need emotional support, including face-to-face, telephone and online counselling, as well as telephone life coaching.

You can call or chat with our trained counsellors anytime – we’re always here to listen and to help you see a way forward.

Just call our helpline on +44 (0) 1788 556 366 or chat to one of our advisors online at any time, day or night.