What if healing didn’t happen in an office? When you think about therapy, your mind may default to clinical settings. Whether it’s a doctor’s office, a therapist’s office, or another healthcare environment, these spaces aren’t always warm or comfortable. They can easily put you on edge and increase feelings of distress. But what if you could expand your view of therapy beyond the spaces held by health professionals?
It’s Rachael on the blog this week, and I’m here to talk with you about expanding the way you think about healing.
Shifting Perspectives on Healing and Access
The definition of therapy is a treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder. Nowhere in that definition does it say that relief or healing must happen in an office or with another person present. You might automatically picture a therapist’s office when you think of therapy and assume that’s the only way it can work. But recognizing that therapy isn’t limited to traditional settings can open the door to ways of healing that better align with your needs.
Conventional approaches to therapy might not work for you, for reasons like culture, finances, personal needs, or past experiences. If typical therapy approaches haven’t worked for you, it’s normal to feel frustrated or unsure about what might help next. Use this as an opportunity to think about how you can shape healing and therapy to fit your own life and needs.
To do this, expand your idea of what makes something therapeutic in the first place. Therapy is a treatment used to relieve or heal a disorder, and when you consider a disorder as a state or condition that disrupts normal functioning in the body or mind, you can begin to broaden what you consider therapeutic. This ultimately means you can view something as therapeutic if it helps relieve or heal the state of distress that is impacting your functioning.
Building a Toolbox for Personal Healing
You might not have called it “therapy” when you went hiking and finally felt like you could catch your breath, or when you took an art class with a friend and experienced a sense of accomplishment. However, if in those moments you were able to decrease some of the distress you were experiencing and improve your overall state and functioning, those experiences could be considered therapeutic. The relief and healing are what matter, and that is why you can begin to include activities like these in your healing toolbox.
Shifting therapy to meet you where you are means that sometimes you need to look at alternatives to traditional healing. Not everyone heals by talking things out while sitting in a therapist’s office, and that’s okay. Healing happens when you feel safe, empowered, seen or free, and that isn’t always possible in traditional settings. Sometimes you need to break out of the confines of the office and begin healing through alternative forms.
How Beliefs About Therapy Can Limit Healing
When you believe healing can only happen in an office, you may be at risk of:
- Invalidating your own growth and failing to recognize when you are already healing.
- Losing hope and blaming yourself. When therapy doesn’t “work,” it’s easy to assume you are the problem.
- Limiting your own healing and growth.
Healing is personal. Just as you process through words, you may also process through movement, sound, or reflection. Broadening your definition of therapy opens more pathways for your healing. Take time to consider which activities make you feel alive, safe, and like yourself. Here are some ideas from other Dóchas therapists:
- Shaelyn’s blog on How to Refill your Cup.
- Aurianna’s blog about Meditation.
- Alicia’s blog on Unplugging from Social Media.
- Erin’s blog on Learning to Love Yourself.
- Melanie’s blog about the Benefits of Journalling.
Personalizing Your Healing Journey
You don’t have to choose between traditional therapy and something else; you can build your own version of healing. Over the next few blogs, we’ll explore alternatives to traditional therapy that can support your healing journey and help you grow beyond the office. Hopefully, these blogs will show you that healing isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Not Sure Where to Start with Therapy?
Take the Dóchas Compass (1–2 minute quiz) and we’ll guide you toward the best fit therapist for you.
If you already know what you’re looking for, you can book an appointment online (in-person in Spruce Grove or virtual across Alberta) or call us at 780-446-0300.
About Dóchas Psychological
Dóchas Psychological Services is a well-established and trusted therapy clinic located in Spruce Grove, Alberta. At Dóchas we value the idea that everyone deserves a safe space. Through connection and education, our team works hard to build a trustworthy relationship with each of our clients. It is our goal to create a community for our clients to feel like they belong.
Disclaimer
Information provided through Dóchas Psychological Services blogs or vlogs is meant for educational purposes only. They are NOT medical or mental health advice. You can read more about our disclaimer here.
