Derik S. Berkebile, LCSW, CMH, C-DBT

Many people struggle with the idea of starting therapy. They may question if it will really help, if it will cost a lot of money or maybe even doubt the need for it. Research has shown that when people treat their mental illness with the combination of psychotropic medications and therapy the outcomes are much more successful than with either on their own. Therapists DO NOT fix life's problems for you but can provide tools to empower you to be able to solve them yourself. Therefore, therapy is only as effective as the amount of effort you are willing to put into it. When clients are truly invested in getting well therapy can be extremely beneficial! Clients often express concerns over cost. My practice, like most, accept most insurances and there is usually a minimal co-payment involved. In some cases it is covered completely. Your therapist may be able to work with you to make it more affordable as well. If you had experienced chest pains would you wait until having a heart attack to seek treatment? The same holds true for therapy. The sooner into the problem you start therapy, often the sooner recovery can occur. People often wait until the problems get completely out of control before seeking help. Therapists really do care and strive to help people. It is a difficult decision for many to start therapy but in my experience once a client starts therapy they often wish they'd started sooner.