Why Your Psychiatrist May Recommend Therapy

You’ve started seeing a psychiatrist and have begun to discuss medication as part of your treatment plan. Then, your doctor brings up another recommendation: therapy. You might wonder why. If your condition is based in brain chemistry and medication can help fix that, what is the point of talking to someone every week? Isn’t that doubling up on treatment?

At Televero Health, we see medication and therapy not as an either/or choice, but as two powerful tools that work together. A psychiatrist’s recommendation for therapy is a sign that they are taking a comprehensive approach to your well-being. They understand that while medication can treat the biological roots of your condition, therapy addresses the psychological and behavioral patterns that go along with it.

Medication and Therapy: Two Different Jobs

Think of your mental health journey like recovering from a major physical injury. If you broke your leg, the first step is to see a doctor to set the bone and put it in a cast. This is like medication. It addresses the underlying biological problem, stabilizes the situation, and creates the conditions necessary for healing. It reduces the pain and makes it possible for you to function again.

But you wouldn’t stop there. After the cast comes off, you would go to physical therapy. A physical therapist would help you rebuild your strength, improve your range of motion, and learn new ways to move to prevent future injuries. This is like therapy. It helps you to develop the skills, insights, and coping mechanisms you need to navigate the world with your new understanding of yourself.

Medication can be incredibly effective at reducing the “noise” of a psychiatric condition. It can lift the fog of depression, quiet the constant hum of anxiety, or stabilize the mood swings of bipolar disorder. It makes it possible for you to engage in the work of therapy in a meaningful way. It’s hard to learn new coping skills when you are so depressed you can’t get out of bed.

What Does Therapy Offer?

While medication works on the “hardware” of your brain, therapy works on its “software.” It is a structured process that helps you to:

• Understand Your Patterns: Therapy can help you identify the thought patterns, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to your struggles. A therapist can help you see connections you might not have noticed on your own.
• Develop Coping Skills: A therapist can teach you practical, evidence-based strategies for managing your symptoms. This could include mindfulness techniques for anxiety, behavioral activation for depression, or communication skills for relationship problems.
• Process Past Experiences: If your condition is related to past trauma or difficult life events, therapy provides a safe space to process those experiences and reduce their emotional charge.
• Improve Relationships: Mental health conditions can put a strain on your relationships with family, friends, and partners. Therapy can help you improve communication and build a stronger support system.
• Prevent Relapse: The skills you learn in therapy are yours to keep for life. They can help you to recognize early warning signs of a relapse and use your coping strategies to manage them before they become a major problem.

Your psychiatrist is an expert in the medical and biological aspects of your condition. A therapist is an expert in the psychological and behavioral aspects. By having both on your team, you are giving yourself the most comprehensive care possible. Your psychiatrist’s recommendation for therapy is not a suggestion that medication isn’t enough; it is an investment in your long-term health and resilience.

Key Takeaways

• Psychiatrists often recommend therapy alongside medication because the two treatments perform different but complementary jobs.
• Medication addresses the biological aspects of a condition, while therapy addresses the psychological patterns and teaches coping skills.
• Therapy can help you understand your thoughts and behaviors, process difficult experiences, and build skills to prevent future relapse.
• Combining medication and therapy is considered the gold standard of treatment for many psychiatric conditions, leading to better long-term outcomes.

Ready to take the first step? We can help. Get started with Televero Health today.