Therapy just for general life stuff?

[GauntJudy]

You know how people recommend regular massages when you live alone without physical contact? I'm thinking a therapist would bring a similat benefit to me as I don't have much emotional support in my life.

I'm a lone parent (their dad moved abroad and has zero contact) and as a result my social life is minimal. I find that when I do see friends I offload a lot and wonder how fun that it for them. In addition my line manager at work is lovely and often checks in with me, but I worry that I overshare and would rather keep the relationship to work matters. My family are lovely but don't want to know too much, they want to hear everything is fine and tend to go awol when things get hard.

Anyway the short story is that I don't have someone to talk through things I'm struggling with. I've even tried chat gpt (and mumsnet of course)! However that's no substitute for human counsel.

Do you think a therapist would help? I'm not sure I have a particular problem to fix, I guess I would like to be more resilient and less in my head, be a good parent - lots of general life stuff that everyone could be better at!

Interested in your experience with therapy and how you found a therapist. Thanks

I would recommend it. I talk to a professional regularly to avoid burdening my adult DCs and my friends. I'm not saying family and friends make me feel like I'll burden - they really don't! I have stuff I need to talk about, decisions to make and a non-judgmental counsellor provides a safe space for all of it.

Thanks @Justbecauseyoucandoesntmeanyoushould ! What is the job title of the person you meet, is it counsellor, life coach or therapist or something else? And can you tell me how you found them, do you look at a professional body and find someone nearby?

I think I'll try to find someone. A bit like you, I need someone to talk with, but don't want to always be seeking emotional support from people who give me their time.

Yes, having had lots of therapy, I think pretty much anyone could benefit, you don't need to actually have a serious mental health problem. I think it is particularly useful if you feel stuck in a bit of a rut and feel you have been doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results over and over and you would like to change something.
The two registration bodies in the UK and BACP and UKCP. Both have codes of practice that therapists must abide by. I think UKCP is more rigorous but there are many good counsellors/therapists on BACP also.

There are many different modalities that therapists and counsellors work to. I'd suggest someone person centred but you may need to chat to a few before you find one that you feel "clicks".

It's a great idea. I recommend you find someone who is reasonably flexible. You may not need someone weekly eventually: some therapists are flexible about fortnightly or monthly sessions and some only see weekly clients.

Mine is an integrative counsellor, psychotherapist and hypnotherapist. She also practises reiki. I mainly use her talking therapy skills, though I've had some reiki and a little hypnotherapy, both of which were useful.
I literally went to the closest one I could find (I was in a very bad way at the time and could drag myself no further). I think you should view the first session with any therapist like an interview to see if you can work together. There may be nothing wrong with you or with them, but if the chemistry isn't right, you look for someone else with no guilt or judgment. A good therapist knows this.
I hope you find the right person for you - it can be very powerful. Have a look here.
nationalcounsellingsociety.org/

I would have a focus, some goals and a timeframe in mind, otherwise the relationship is not going to be productive - like they are just the receptacle, or fulfilling a role in your life which you might come to depend on.
So think about how you want things to change as a result of therapy, how to be assertive and effective in that relationship, and how to manage the tension between allowing yourself space and keeping your own boundaries.
Use it to have a better relationship with yourself and better relationships outside therapy, not as a substitute.

That's good advice @GreyAreas thanks