How Do I Know If I Need Therapy? Think: F.E.D.I

There continues to be various reports about the rise in levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness around the world, but does that mean everybody should go to therapy? How do you know if you should?
Think: F.E.D.I

Think F.E.D.I

By adulthood, we’ve all experienced some form of struggle - whether that is through education, relationships or work. Many of these experiences end up offering us the chance to learn something about ourselves (and others) and help us to build resilience over time.

However, some of these experiences can be frequent, impact many areas of our life, persist for months and even years and start to reduce our quality of life.

When this is the case, it may be that our loved ones and friends cannot offer the support we need and we may need to seek support from a licensed therapist.


The FEDI framework aims to help you understand if you need therapy (or not). 

Contents of this article

Frequency

Extent

Duration

Intensity

Frequency

The frequency with which you experience your issue is one of the key aspects to bear in mind.

If the issue is impacting or influencing you on a daily basis, it may be worthwhile speaking to a therapist. 


Consider the following questions: 

  • How often does this issue arise? 

  • Do you experience it every day? Every week?

  • If daily, how many hours per day?

Extent

Extent

Our lives are varied and complex. If your issue impacts many areas of your life, it may be worthwhile speaking to a therapist.


Some areas of life to consider: 

  • Sleep

  • Work

  • Relationships & friendships

  • Eating habits

  • Sex life

Duration

Duration

Generally speaking, the longer your issue has persisted (e.g. several months or years), the more likely it may be that you should seek out a therapist. 

If you are a teenager or young adult, the timelines may be different.

Consider the following questions

  • How long has this been going on? 

  • Have these thoughts, feelings and/or behaviours been around for days or weeks?

  • Or have they been going on for months, or even years?

Intensity

Intensity

How intense an experience is varies for each individual. However, if your quality of life is suffering as a result of the consequences, this may be a sign therapy can help.



Consider the following: 

  • How severe are the consequences of this experience? 

  • Do the consequences of this experience reduce your quality of life? 

  • Are you re-arranging aspects of your life because of the experience? 

 

What now?

If your experience is very frequent, impacts many areas of your life, has lasted for some time, impacts your quality of life, or any mixture of these, then you may want to seek support from a licensed therapist.


This is entirely your decision - attending therapy is a personal choice.

Please note: The advice in this article is not intended as a substitute for professional psychological therapy or advice. This framework is not designed for people who are in need of emergency assistance/urgent care.

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