What are the benefits of talk therapy? Key things to know

Key Takeaways

Talk therapy, or psychotherapy, can be beneficial for anyone who is interested in improving their mental health, building healthier habits, or focusing on their overall well-being.

Individual therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy are three common categories of talk therapy, and each offers a unique set of mental health benefits. All three types of therapy can be conducted virtually for a more accessible and convenient option.

If you’re interested in therapy for yourself or others, it’s important to find the right therapist to support your needs.

If you’re new to talk therapy, you might be wondering what all the hype is about. These days, it seems like everyone from celebrities to your coworkers has a therapist, and they’re proud to share how therapy has positively impacted their lives. There are three common categories of talk therapy — individual, couples, and family therapy — and they can all be conducted in person or online.

Below, we review the leading benefits of each type so that you can identify the right form of mental health treatment to create meaningful change in your life.

What are the benefits of talk therapy?

According to the American Psychological Association, half of people in therapy notice improvement after eight sessions, and 75% experience some benefit after six months. Talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy, helps people develop skills and strategies to manage mental health symptoms, build healthier habits, and improve overall well-being and quality of life.

Other benefits of talk therapy include:

Improved self-awareness and self-esteem
Improved communication skills
Improved ability to express emotions in healthy ways
Healthier, more satisfying relationships
Better understanding of yourself and others

What are the benefits of individual therapy?

Individual therapy involves working with a therapist or other mental health professional to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Unlike group or couples therapy, individual therapy is a one-on-one experience that focuses on personal growth and healing. Therapy is most effective when you feel comfortable with your provider, so it’s important to work with someone who makes you feel seen, understood, and supported.

Some of the leading benefits of individual therapy include:

Reduced mental health symptoms: Talk therapy is often used to manage mental health symptoms linked to conditions like anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and eating disorders. In fact, therapy can be just as effective as psychiatric medication for some people.
Greater emotional wellness: Talk therapy also encourages greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and emotional resilience. It helps people identify unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs and replace them with more empowering alternatives.
New life skills: Therapy shows people how to replace negative coping strategies with healthier methods for managing emotional distress. It also provides more effective solutions for solving problems, communicating with others, and regulating emotions.

What are the benefits of couples therapy?

Couples therapy offers people a safe and neutral environment to work through relationship challenges and concerns. Whether you’re interested in deepening your connection or seeking specific relationship advice, therapy supports couples who want to create healthier and more satisfying partnerships. It’s particularly useful for couples who are struggling with trust issues, life transitions, or unresolved conflict.

Research shows that couples therapy positively impacts 70% of couples who receive treatment. In addition to its effectiveness, other leading benefits of couples therapy include:

Mutual growth: By sharing their hopes, fears, values, and goals, couples have room to explore their similarities and differences and envision a future together. Therapy can also help couples who are learning to navigate life transitions, like switching careers, relocating, or becoming parents.
Conflict resolution: Whether you’re struggling with an ongoing issue or trying to overcome a one-time betrayal, therapy can help you and your partner address the core concern, identify triggers, and rebuild trust.
Emotional and physical intimacy: Therapy helps people understand their partner’s emotional and physical needs, which can increase romance and overall relationship satisfaction.

What are the benefits of family therapy?

Family therapy is a short-term, solution-focused therapy for healing the family unit. It varies based on each family’s needs, so it may include all members of the family or focus on a specific relationship.

With the support of a family therapist, you can learn how your family dynamic impacts your overall family health. It’s common for people to seek family therapy for parenting disagreements, parent-child relationship conflict, and advice on navigating major changes like grief, loss, or life transitions.

Some of the leading benefits of family therapy include:

Improved communication skills: If your family struggles to effectively communicate, therapy can teach you to discuss your thoughts and feelings in a clear, respectful, and non-confrontational way.
Stronger support system: Family therapy also supports families who are learning to cope with traumatic experiences that affect the whole family, like infidelity or death, as well as individual members’ mental health challenges.
Enhanced family bond: Family therapy can help families address systemic issues, overcome unhealthy habits, and create stronger bonds.

What are the benefits of online therapy?

Whether you’re looking for therapy for yourself or a loved one, online therapy is an effective way to access mental healthcare. Instead of meeting with your provider in person at their office, online therapy enables people to connect with their provider via the internet.

Some of the leading benefits of online therapy include:

Convenience: Teletherapy allows people to access therapy from the comfort of home or any other private location.
More therapists: By looking beyond therapists within driving distance, it might be easier to find someone who speaks your language, specializes in your condition, and has availability when you need it.
Increased comfort: If you’re someone who likes to be in control of your environment, online therapy may put you more at ease. In fact, there’s even something called the “online calming hypothesis,” which states that people feel less overwhelmed with telehealth versus in-person treatment.

Find care with Rula

Whether you’re interested in individual, couples, or family therapy, Rula is here to make it easier to find the right support for your mental health needs. With Rula’s therapist-matching program, you can match with a provider who is accepting new clients and takes your insurance. And our network of over 8,000 providers means you can start accessing the benefits of therapy as soon as this week.