Why Therapy for Young Adults Works! According to Santa Rosa Therapist
As a therapist for young adults in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County, I have found some unique factors that make this population so responsive to therapy! Young adults are insightful about their mental health and their desire to learn about themselves.
Top Truth #1: Young Adults consider therapy part of their self-care
One of my favorite TV show moments is from Parks and Recreation where Tom and Donna have a yearly tradition of a “treat yo self” day where once a year they treat themselves to their wildest and weirdest desires without holding back.
I love that we live in a time where self-care is celebrated! And there are so many options to self-care. In the case of Tom and Donna from Parks and Recreation, their self care is a day of no holds barred indulgent spending without feeling guilty about it.
We don’t have to be productive 24/7!
Yoga is commonly referenced as self-care, but what about regular therapy?
We need time to allow ourselves to decompress from our life stress and have an outlet for pure joy. For you it might be taking a dance class with a friend, rage rooms to release some anger while smashing old TVs, playing in an adult kickball league or outdoor yoga.
For many young adults, their self-care includes therapy to learn about themselves and manage stress. We have (finally) gotten to the point in our society where therapy can be seen as a normal part of our overall self-care.
This allows young adults to seek therapy without the shame that may have been associated with going to therapy in the past, when it meant “something was wrong with you.” So think about going therapy as your own personal self-care, and well, treat yo self!
Top Truth #2: Young Adults are comfortable using technology to find the right therapist
Santa Rosa has no lack of therapists available, but this can be overwhelming trying to find the right person. Start small and get clear of what you are looking for in a therapist to narrow it down.
One advantage of being a young adult seeking therapy is that most of us are very comfortable using technology to find a therapist online --you did find yourself to my blog, right?
This allows for you to find lots of therapists listings online (literally thousands of therapists) you could connect with. But who has time to do the research of all these therapists and if you pick someone randomly, how do you know they will be a good fit?
I suggest young adults start small. Start with consultations with your top 3 therapists you are considering. Give yourself a time limit of how long you will be researching online (and set a timer!), so that it doesn’t become an endless search.
Start with therapists local to your city first and then expand your search, if needed.
The benefit of having a therapist local to your area, is they are going to be familiar with the local resources, referrals to other providers for medical/psychiatry care (this might be part of your treatment plan), and even if you are deciding to do telehealth, you have the option of seeing this therapist in-person locally, if at some point your situation changes and telehealth is no longer possible or not the best option for you anymore.
It is probably more important you find someone to connect with as soon as possible, rather than spending weeks during this search process. If you’d like more information about the therapist search process, I have many resources in my blogs about searching for a Santa Rosa therapist. Check out my other blog post about this topic.
Top Truth # 3: Young Adulthood is full of change and transitions, and tons of opportunity for self-growth
Therapy can help us find the balance between our thoughts, feelings and actions. When we do this work in young adulthood, it can provide us a stable base to build happy and fulfilled lives.
The cool thing about young adulthood is the amount of transition, changes and development that happens during this time of our lives.
The downside of this time in life is it’s very stressful! But this is actually the perfect time to do therapy, because there is still a lot of flexibility for us to make huge positive changes in our lives in a relatively short period of time.
Don’t underestimate the impact of personal development during this time in your life.
When you notice something is “off” in your life (especially when it comes to romantic relationships), the best time to address it is now! I work with many young adults in Sonoma County as a therapist in Santa Rosa, who are able to catch the problems early in therapy and avoid the pitfalls of getting stuck in unhealthy relational dynamics.
I know it can feel like a huge investment of both your time and money to engage in therapy when time and money is in limited supply during young adulthood. But consider the lasting impact of helping yourself learn to manage your emotions and interpersonal relationships, your future self will thank you!
Therapist for Young Adults in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County
Navigating young adulthood is no easy task. I hope these considerations about therapy for young adults helps guide you (or the young adult in your life) to the right resources to help support you.
If you are looking for a therapist specializing in young adult issues and relationship stress, please contact me for a free consultation. I have an office in Santa Rosa, CA where I see clients in-person and an online practice where I see clients throughout California.
Angela Sitka, LMFT has a therapy private practice based in Santa Rosa, CA and specializes in toxic relationships, breakup recovery and young adult life transitions.