The Benefits of Therapy
- Ariana Grande is speaking up about the benefits of mental health therapy and suggests it’s ‘ok to ask for help.’
- Emotionally struggling after a cancer diagnosis is very normal. One of our experts says it's important to reach out to your doctor, a therapist and/or support groups in your community when you’re having a tough time dealing with all the things that come with a cancer diagnosis.
- Ovarian cancer survivor Ni Guttenfelder recommends taking the time to find the right counselor one you trust and feel comfortable opening up to about your cancer.
Grande just announced she’s giving away $1 million of free therapy.
Read More“While acknowledging that therapy should not be for a privileged few but something everyone has access to, and acknowledging that this doesn't fix that issue in the long run, i really wanted to do this anyway in hopes of inspiring you to dip a toe in, to feel okay asking for help, and to hopefully rid your minds of any sort of self judgement in doing so!” Grande wrote in her caption. “i hope that you'll take advantage of this opportunity and go to betterhelp.com/ariana to be matched with a licensed therapist for one free month. after that, you'll have the choice to renew and continue. i so hope that this will be a helpful starting point and that you'll be able to build space for this in your lives and continue!”View this post on Instagram
And this is not the first time Grande has spoken up about the importance of mental health. She’s previously shared her struggles with PTSD after the bombing attack of her Manchester concert in 2018.
“When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn’t breathe,” she told ELLE. “I would be in a good mood, fine and happy, and they would hit me out of nowhere. I've always had anxiety, but it had never been physical before. There were a couple of months straight where I felt so upside down.”
Given her own experiences, Grande knows that achieving great mental health doesn’t come easy. But she also knows it’s still important to work on it as much as you can.
“Healing is not linear or easy but you are worth the effort and time, i promise!” she wrote.
Therapy during a Cancer Journey
Dealing with a mental health struggle looks different for everyone, especially when it comes to a cancer diagnosis. But feeling sad or anxious about the changes coming your way after hearing the “c” word for the first time is very normal and understandable.
Dealing with Grief after a Cancer Diagnosis
"Grief comes in waves," Dr. Scott Irwin, a psychiatrist and director of supportive care services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "They're grieving the change in their life. The future they had imagined is now different."
Dr. Irwin stressed how helpful talk therapy can be when dealing with the mixed emotions. It's important to reach out to your doctor, a therapist or support groups in your community if you feel like you’re struggling.
Ni Guttenfelder can attest to the benefits of therapy. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in October 2017 and quickly decided she needed a therapist to help process her feelings. Her suggestion is to seek a counselor you’re comfortable with one you trust and can open up to about your cancer diagnosis.
"Initially I went to a session where I just cried and the counselor basically told me what I was feeling was normal and didn't offer me any type of feedback. But I knew that I needed something more than that. Not just a crying session and a pat on my shoulder," she told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "What I have found is that it's critical to find the right counselor, not just any counselor."
Once she found a counselor she truly trusted, Guttenfelder began to see some clarity.
"One of the things that my counselor has taught me from the very beginning that has helped me is the concept of acceptance," she says. "Acceptance is a process. It's like downloading a computer file in increments. Visualizing it in that way has really helped me."
Her therapist also taught her how to manage the people in her life. She decided to look into her relationship with her father, for example, because he was resistant to the idea of her receiving chemotherapy.
"It makes it more of an uphill battle and a challenge because we'll sometimes get into arguments about it," she says. "My counselor would say, for my own benefit and health that it's best to limit the time with others who may not be lifting me up during my treatment."
She also had some helpful advice for other women dealing with ovarian cancer: “You are stronger and more resilient than you could ever imagine.”
“I think there's a misconception that we beat cancer when we finish treatment,” she said. “Unfortunately, that's not always the case for everyone. I want you to know that you beat cancer by how you live your life.”
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