How Therapy Works

I am often asked how does therapy work? How can talking help? What’s the process like?

One way to understand it is to think of your mind as a house. This house, shaped by both nature and nurture, reflects how you’ve learned to organize yourself and navigate the world.

For a while, your house may have served you well. But over time, you might start to notice that certain rooms feel cluttered, some walls seem too rigid, or parts of the house no longer feel like home. That’s often when people seek therapy.

Therapy is like walking through your house with a trusted companion. Together, we explore different rooms. Some spaces may simply need small adjustments, moving furniture to create more ease. Other areas require deeper work, like examining the walls themselves. Are there bricks that no longer fit? Do some walls feel too solid, making it hard to connect with other spaces? Are certain rooms neglected or overwhelming?

But a house doesn’t exist in isolation. The landscape around it, the social, political, and cultural environment, shapes its structure in ways we might not always notice. Economic systems, family expectations, societal norms, and global events can all affect how stable and comfortable the house feels inside. Some houses are built on solid ground, while others sit on shifting foundations due to historical or systemic forces beyond an individual’s control. In therapy, we not only look at the house itself but also consider the world it exists in and how that influences what is possible within it.

In some places, we might carefully remove a few bricks to let in more light or create new possibilities. In others, we reinforce what’s already strong. The process is deeply personal, and no two houses are the same.

As we move through, we also pay attention to how it feels to be in each space. What emotions arise? What memories are stored in the walls? Therapy isn’t about fixing a “broken” house, it’s about making it a place that truly supports and reflects you.

At times, this process can feel unsettling, even painful, change often does. But ultimately, therapy helps you create a home within yourself that feels more authentic, spacious, and livable.