How to Motivate Someone to Go to Psychotherapy? 6 Practical Tips

Psychological therapy is an invaluable resource when it comes to facing a wide variety of problems, both in situations in which we have developed a psychological disorder and in others in which, despite the absence of psychopathology, there is discomfort linked to our management of emotions or personal relationships (for example, marital crises or family conflicts).

However, today there are still those who have a vision of psychotherapy that is too conditioned by misunderstandings, myths about mental health, or stigma and prejudice, and although they could greatly benefit from the professional help of a psychologist , they do not consider resorting to this type of services. Therefore, in this article we will review several strategies and recommendations to motivate someone to go to psychotherapy.

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Tips to motivate someone to go to psychological therapy

It may be that a person does not know exactly how psychotherapy works and harbors a series of unfounded myths about this process or that they have all kinds of fears, mistrust or insecurities related to what accepting this type of help would mean for their identity. In other cases, the person is not able to find reasons why not to go to the psychologist, but feels unmotivated and does not move from words to actions, constantly postponing the day of going to a first therapy session.

To help these people take a much-needed step, below we present the main motivation strategies that we can apply as friends or family so that a person is more motivated to attend psychotherapy.

1. Clarify and explain what the objective of psychotherapy is

Explaining the real objectives of psychotherapy and refuting certain myths or misunderstandings that some people have is the first step in convincing someone to go to a psychology professional.

Explain carefully and in detail what is done in psychology therapies and how professionals work It will help the person in question lose the fear or reluctance they have to agree to go.

We can achieve this by clarifying important issues such as that “crazy people” do not go to psychologists, that psychotherapy is not only useful for letting off steam, and that psychological techniques such as hypnosis are not dangerous.

2. Clarify the nature of psychological problems

Other myths that people harbor about psychotherapy are that psychological problems are immutable and always remain the same, which is why they consider that psychologists cannot actually solve these imbalances or alterations in any way.

To refute this myth we can talk to that person about the fact that Psychological problems are not always manifestations of biological predispositions but are often a combination of social and contextual factors, mainly the way in which we relate to our environment.

Explaining that a psychologist teaches us to relate better to our environment and to better face the problems that happen to us in life, that person will learn that psychological problems can be overcome and their solution is closer than they believe.

3. Mention some names of famous people who go to therapy

Another way we can motivate someone to go to therapy is to talk about famous people who go to psychotherapy or who have gone throughout their lives.

In addition to that, this strategy is more useful if the famous person in question is idolized by the person we want to convince, or is someone important to their daily life.

Notably Nowadays, celebrities are very open when it comes to talking about this topic and mental health in general, so it will not be difficult for us to find a celebrity who has attended a psychologist’s consultation.

4. Talk about the various functions of the psychologist

Talk about the functions that a psychologist is responsible for in his or her office and emphasize that these professionals They also treat people without mental disorders of any kind.

In addition to that, we can also make it clear that there are other types of psychological therapy, such as couples therapy, family therapy or therapy specialized in specific and non-pathological problems such as low self-esteem or social interaction problems.

5. Propose yourself as a companion

Another way we can reassure a person who does not want to go to therapy is to offer us as a companion on the day they have to go to therapy.

In addition to that, we can make it clear that we are going to support that person in that process and that we will be aware of your well-being at all times.

6. Talk about the benefits of online therapy

Finally, talking about online therapy is essential for those people who have problems getting around or who do not want to see a psychologist.

The main benefits of online therapy They are: greater time flexibility, greater availability of the professional and the patient, saving time and money, greater discretion and the same effectiveness as traditional therapy.

In addition to that, online therapy is especially recommended for people with social interaction problems or who have difficulties leaving the house and interacting with other people live.