How therapy can help you and the surprising benefits beyond mental health

You don’t have to be in crisis to go to therapy. You could be feeling stressed or just not like yourself. Therapy gives you space to talk things through and learn ways to feel better. It can help you feel more like yourself, no matter where you are in life. And sometimes, it gives you the confidence you need to move forward.

What are the benefits of therapy?

Therapy can help with many parts of your life, not just mental health problems. It can lower stress, improve relationships, and support your personal growth.

Some common benefits of therapy include:

• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Managing depression
• Healing from trauma
• Working through grief and loss
• Building resilience and self-awareness

Therapy can also help with:

• Substance use or behavioral addictions
• Improving your relationships
• Breaking unhealthy habits
• Supporting your physical health

No matter what you’re going through, therapy can give you tools to feel better and live in a way that feels true to you. If you’re interested in your options, Grow Therapy has useful resources and licensed providers available.

How therapy improves mental and emotional health

Therapy can help you work through specific challenges or help you get to know yourself better. With support along the way, you may start to feel more grounded and more in tune with what you need.

1. Therapy helps treat mental health conditions

A licensed therapist can help you figure out what might be affecting your mental health and work with you to create a plan that fits your needs. In some cases, they may refer you to another provider for a formal diagnosis or additional care.

Some common types of therapy that can help with mental health include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT help you get in touch with your thoughts and behaviors.
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT teaches you how to regulate intense emotions, manage distress, and have healthier interpersonal relationships.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR can help you work through traumatic or upsetting memories that can feel “stuck” in the brain, leading to emotional pain, anxiety, and other difficult experiences.

Your therapist may also recommend speaking with a doctor or psychiatrist to find out if medication could be a helpful part of your treatment. In some cases, therapy and medication are used together as part of a personalized care plan.

To see which mental health issues therapy can help with, visit our section below on therapy’s support for specific challenges.

2. Therapy builds self-esteem and self-compassion

If you tend to be hard on yourself, therapy can help. You’ll learn how to notice negative thoughts and replace them with more supportive ones. Over time, this can help you feel better about yourself and treat yourself with more kindness.

Self-compassion is about giving yourself grace, especially in the moments when it feels the most difficult. Instead of being hard on yourself, approach your feelings with patience and care. It’s about noticing when you’re struggling and choosing to respond with understanding, not judgment.

3. Therapy teaches emotional regulation

Big emotions like anger, sadness, or fear can feel hard to control, but therapy gives you ways to handle them. Therapy helps you understand where these feelings come from. It also teaches you how to respond in healthy ways. You can learn how to:

• Notice what triggers your emotions
• Pause and think before reacting
• Express your feelings in a safe, respectful way

4. Therapy encourages healthy coping skills

Therapy gives you tools to manage stress and tough situations. Instead of turning to habits that don’t help, you’ll learn new ways to cope that support your mental health. These skills can include things like:

• Identifying what you’re feeling
• Setting boundaries without guilt
• Calming your nervous system when emotions run high
• Reframing anxious or critical thoughts
• Processing past experiences so they don’t carry as much weight

Physical health benefits of therapy

Your mental and physical health are connected. When your mind feels better, your body often feels better too. Therapy can help reduce stress, which may improve sleep, lower pain, and boost your energy.

1. Improved sleep

Anxiety, depression, and racing thoughts can make it hard to fall or stay asleep. Therapy helps you work through what’s keeping your mind busy so you can relax and sleep with ease.

2. Fewer physical symptoms

Stress can show up in your body as headaches, muscle tension, stomach issues, or even fatigue. As you feel less overwhelmed, these symptoms may start to fade. Some people notice improvements in symptoms like tension, digestion, or sleep as stress decreases. While therapy isn’t a direct treatment for physical health conditions, lowering stress can have positive effects on the body.

Professional benefits of therapy

Work can be a big source of stress, and therapy helps you handle it in healthier ways.

1. Manage work stress

If deadlines are stressing you out or you’re feeling burnt out, therapy is a space to share your feelings. You’ll learn how to set boundaries, manage pressure, and avoid taking stress home with you.

2. Explore career changes

If you’re thinking about switching careers or feel stuck in your job, therapy can help you figure out the next move. A therapist can help you weigh your options and move forward with more clarity.

3. Build a healthier work-life balance

Therapy reminds you that you’re more than your job. You’ll learn how to protect your time, say no when needed, and make room for rest and joy outside of work.

How therapy strengthens relationships

Therapy isn’t only for self-reflection. It also helps you strengthen your connections with others. Working with a therapist can improve the way you relate to the people in your life.

1. Spot patterns that aren’t working

Sometimes, you repeat the same patterns in relationships without realizing it. Therapy helps you notice these habits and understand where they come from.

2. Improve communication skills

Clear, calm communication can help you avoid misunderstandings and feel more connected. Therapy helps you share your needs. It also makes you a better listener. You’ll learn to manage tough conversations with more confidence.

3. Learn healthy ways to resolve conflict

Disagreements are normal, but how you handle them matters most. In therapy, you’ll practice skills to stay calm when emotions run high, speak up without blaming, and respect your own and others’ boundaries.

4. Build empathy and trust

By looking into your own feelings, you’ll start to understand others better, too. This deeper awareness builds more trust, kindness, and connection in your relationships.

Personal growth through therapy

Therapy helps you better understand who you are and what matters most to you. It gives you space to reflect, set goals, and grow into the version of yourself you want to be.

1. Understand yourself more deeply

In therapy, you’ll look into how your thoughts, feelings, and actions are connected. This lets you see patterns that may be limiting you. You can then make more thoughtful choices for the future.

2. Get clear on your goals and values

You’ll have time to think about what’s most important to you. This could be family, career, relationships, or something else. Therapy can help you set goals that feel right and take steps toward a life that matches your values.

3. Build self-esteem and confidence

Therapy teaches you how to be kinder to yourself. You’ll learn to challenge negative self-talk and replace it with self-compassion. Over time, this builds stronger confidence from within.

4. Grow your emotional intelligence

Therapy helps you identify your emotions. It shows you where they come from, so you can learn to respond in healthier ways. These skills make everyday situations easier to handle and strengthen your relationships.

How therapy helps kids and teens

Children and teens don’t always have the words to explain how they’re feeling, but those feelings often show up in other ways. You might notice changes in their behavior, mood, or how they cope with everyday stress. Therapy gives them a space to:

• Make sense of their emotions
• Build resiliency
• Learn how to calm themselves and regulate big feelings
• Process school-related stress
• Work through family and life transitions

How therapy helps adults

As an adult, therapy can help you manage everyday stress and improve relationships. It can be especially helpful during big life changes like starting or changing a career, becoming a parent, or going through a breakup, divorce, or loss.

Therapy also gives you space to look back on your goals and take better care of your mental health.

How therapy helps seniors and caregivers

Therapy helps caregivers manage their own needs so they can keep showing up for others. It also helps with things like:

• Setting healthy boundaries
• Working through guilt or frustration
• Making time for self-care
• Grief and loss
• Feeling less isolated
• Strengthening emotional well-being
• Coping with retirement, illness, or loss of independence
• Caregiver stress

If you’re supporting someone else through a hard time, it’s okay to start exploring therapy on their behalf. Finding help for someone else can be a powerful way to make sure your loved one gets the support they need.

How therapy helps marginalized communities

Your background, culture, and identity shape how you see the world. Therapy should reflect that. Culturally sensitive therapy helps you feel seen, heard, and understood.

If you identify as part of a marginalized group, like LGBTQ+ or BIPOC, therapy can be especially helpful. It’s important for your therapist to understand what you’ve faced. Therapists who practice cultural humility and sensitivity recognize that racism, discrimination, and bias can profoundly affect mental health. They remain committed to learning from each client’s unique experience.

How therapy helps with specific mental health challenges

Therapy is one of the most effective ways to treat many common mental health concerns. If you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, or trauma, talking to a therapist can help. They can help you understand your feelings and give you tools to feel better.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental health issues in the United States. It affects around 31% of adults in the US at some point in their lives. Therapy helps you understand your worries and find patterns that keep you stuck. You’ll also learn practical ways to feel calmer and more in control. Some therapies that are especially helpful for anxiety include CBT, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and Adlerian therapy.

Depression

If you’ve been feeling down, hopeless, or tired all the time, you might be dealing with depression. Therapy can help you feel more like yourself and start enjoying life again. The following therapies are commonly used to treat depression include psychodynamic therapy, interpersonal therapy (IPT), and existential therapy.

Trauma and PTSD

If you’ve faced trauma, therapy can help support your healing. It gives you a supportive space to begin processing what happened and build tools to feel more grounded. The healing process looks different for everyone and can take time. Approaches that tend to work well for trauma and PTSD include EMDR, cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and polyvagal therapy.

Grief and loss

When you face a loss, therapy offers a safe space. You can process your feelings, honor what you’ve been through, and grieve in your own time. There’s no rush to “move on.” Therapies that can support you through grief and loss include grief counseling, narrative therapy, and ACT.

Addiction and substance use

If you have addiction or substance use issues, therapy can help you figure out the causes. You will develop healthier coping tools that support long-term recovery. Therapeutic approaches often used in addiction treatment include motivational interviewing (MI), CBT, and experiential therapy.

Loneliness and isolation

Feeling lonely? Therapy can boost your social skills. It helps rebuild your confidence and find ways to reconnect with others. Some therapy options that can be a good fit for loneliness and isolation include interpersonal therapy (IPT), group therapy, and CBT.

We also have a full guide explaining the different types of therapy if you want to explore more!

Frequently asked questions

Can therapy help if I don’t know what’s wrong?

Yes. You don’t need to have all the answers to benefit from therapy. A therapist can help you sort through what you’re feeling and figure out what to focus on. Many people assume you need a diagnosis or a clear issue to get started, but that’s not true. Therapy myths like these often stop people from getting the support they need.

How does therapy help emotionally?

Therapy gives you a safe, judgment-free space to explore what you’re feeling. You can talk openly about stress, sadness, anger, or anything else that’s been weighing on you. Over time, therapy helps you understand your emotions more clearly. This includes where they come from and how they affect your thoughts and actions.

You’ll also learn healthier ways to cope with big feelings, so they feel less overwhelming. That might mean noticing your triggers sooner, expressing yourself more calmly, or giving yourself more compassion instead of self-criticism. Feeling supported emotionally in therapy can help you feel more grounded and more in control, even when life feels unpredictable.

What can therapy help with besides mental illness?

Therapy can help with many things. It aids in dealing with grief, life changes, and relationship issues. It can also boost low confidence and help if you feel stuck.

Does therapy improve relationships?

Yes, therapy can help make relationships better. It can teach you ways to communicate better and handle conflict in a more thoughtful way. It also helps with setting healthy boundaries. This could be with a partner, friend, family member, or coworker.

Can therapy help with physical health, too?

Yes, therapy can support your physical health, especially when stress or emotional strain is part of the picture. Mental and physical health are closely connected, and therapy can sometimes help ease symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, or fatigue by lowering stress levels.

Still, if you’re dealing with ongoing physical symptoms, it’s important to check in with a medical provider, too. In some cases, your therapist may collaborate with your doctor to make sure you’re getting the care you need from both sides.

Is therapy worth it for personal growth?

Yes, therapy is worth it for personal growth. Therapy can help you learn more about who you are and become the version of yourself that you want to be.

Can therapy help with work stress or burnout?

Therapy can help with work stress or burnout. It can help you handle job stress and consider career changes.

Can kids or teens go to therapy?

Yes, kids and teens can go to therapy. Therapy gives children and teens a safe space to understand their emotions and build healthy coping skills.

What if I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t help?

It’s okay if you’ve tried therapy before and the experience didn’t work out. You can try a different approach. You can also go to a different therapist who better understands your needs. Don’t give up; finding the right therapist can take time.

What happens during a typical therapy session?

In most sessions, you’ll talk about what’s going on in your life, what you’re feeling, and what you’d like support with. Your therapist might ask questions, give feedback, or guide you through exercises. This helps you reflect and grow. Your first therapy session is about building comfort and understanding. It’s okay to take things one step at a time.