Insights on Therapy

Dr. Megan Tresh, licensed marriage and family therapist at Evergreen Therapy, shared her journey on how she became a therapist as well as her thoughts on keeping a good mental health. She explained that humans are very reliant creatures that need a community that we trust. 

Importance of processing emotions

Everyone experiences negative emotions and when these feelings arise, it is incredibly important to reflect on why one would feel this way. Negative emotions are just that—negative. This is why people tend to automatically try to get rid of the emotion as well as the cause through different tactics: distraction through events, avoidance by temporary relievers like substances, or shifting one’s focus from themselves to another. 

Though these tactics may stop these unwanted feelings temporarily, unprocessed emotions often pop back up in worse times. Physical tension and pain can show up in the body as well as worsened performance. 

Tresh touched on this saying that people just need connection and a community to be vulnerable with; therapy is a great outlet for that. She elaborated, “And [vulnerability] matters, because now it's not just the outside of me, or the facade of myself, that matters, or is taken in by other people, it's the actual real me, or parts of the real me, that are now validated, and seen, and cared for.”

Some might think that vocalizing one’s problems would make them more of a reality or problem. Looking at it from both sides, Tresh explained that in therapy one does have to confront the negatives in their life which can impact how that person sees the world. “But when we [share] things like that in a safe environment with safe people who are going to care and are going to be there and hold those difficult things and not try to shoo them away or not try to…wrap them up in a bow and make them better,” she says.

Who Seeks Therapy More

USA Today explains that from March 2020, the amount in which people spend their time and money on therapy has increased 39%. This is partly due to the increase in virtual accessibility. 

Tresh said in recent years, more teenagers have been requesting therapy rather than their parents encouraging it. “I think that's really cool because I want teens to be able to advocate for themselves in that way. 
And I love when I hear that parents were like, ‘yeah, absolutely.’”

On the other hand, Tresh explained that people from older generations are less likely to pursue therapy because of the situations they grew up in. “But most I probably say, combination of factors in which they grew up, you know, therapy wasn't widely available. It wasn't necessarily seen as something that well healthy people would pursue.” 

She conveyed that she is always excited to see an older client and the outlook they use to see the world. “I look up to the people that are still motivated to pursue goals that they have for themselves, even when maybe their time here isn't as long.”

The National Center for Health Statistics Created the following graphs

Things That Affect Mental Health

When asked about what are some factors that affect mental health that people often ignore or take for granted, Tresh replied, “Sleep and eating regularly, and all those kinds of things—hydrating. It all kind of comes back to fueling our body with the energy that it needs and the resources it needs in order to have the energy it needs.”

Stanford Medical Center agreed with this by elaborating, “People with insomnia, for example, are 10 times more likely to have depression and 17 times more likely to have anxiety than the general population.” 

When people think about improving their mental health, oftentimes they quickly overlook basic necessities and jump straight into major life changes. While major life changes can definitely affect one’s mental health, it is important to be well rested and well fed.

To hear more of Dr. Megan Tresh’s thoughts, listen to the interview below.

Seeking Therapy For Oneself

If someone wants to look for a therapist that’s right for them Tresh recommended psychologytoday.com

It is important to remember that not all therapists are one size fits all and if a therapist isn’t what one is looking for, it is okay to look for a different one.