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Life is full of hardships – grief, break ups, addiction – all times we might think about therapy.  You may be surprised to know the best time to get therapy is when your life is going well.

There’s a stigma that therapy is only for people suffering a mental illness or going through a massive interpersonal issue. Therapy’s benefits extend far beyond periods of crisis.  Most people want to be more than ‘not depressed.’ They want to be  happy, productive, loving; they want to be well, not just free of dis-ease.

Achieving your full potential requires a heck of a lot of self-knowledge, self-control, and hard work. The best time to possess all these attributes is not when you are freaking out, but when you are able to engage in introspection.

Talk therapy, or psychotherapy, allows you space to process your feelings, thoughts, and experiences with a professional, to arrive at an a-ha moment.  When we talk about something, we reflect on our behavior and thoughts, and sometimes things click, helping us become aware of patterns and make connections.

You may think the things going on in your life are not urgent or important enough to spend time and money with a therapist. The truth is, we take all kinds of preventive measures in the interest of good health and to avoid the catastrophic or emergent. We go to the dentist for cleaning and inspection of our teeth. We get a physical, now generally called a wellness exam, to make sure all is well with our general health.  Why not consider a mental well-being check up?

If you purchased your health insurance through state exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act, mental health care is covered. It is one of the ten benefits that must be covered on all plans under the law. If you have insurance through your employer, there’s a pretty good chance you’re covered, too.

Even if your insurance provides only minimal coverage for behavioral health care, most companies have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).  EAPs might be one of the best kept secrets in the employee benefit world.  An EAP is a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal or work-related problems.  EAPs can cover issues affecting mental and emotional well-being, stress, grief, family problems, and psychological disorders.  More than that, an EAP can help you find care for an aging parent, adoption support, legal assistance and other valuable services.

If your goal is well-being, prevention, and improved quality of life, you can benefit from a mental health check up.

Andrea Groth Wellbeing Detective

Andrea wants to live in a world where the neighborhoods are walkable, bike lanes are plentiful, and the food is fresh, delicious and readily available.

A 20-year veteran of the health and wellness industry, she started her career in the fitness industry while earning a master’s degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, and then on to the burgeoning field of worksite wellness. Andrea has competed in collegiate level soccer, worked as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, wellness coach, and master trainer, climbed 14ers, and completed cycling centuries and metric centuries. All of these experiences give her the opportunity to view well-being from many different perspectives.
When she’s not helping others to be their healthiest self, you can find her at a farm to table restaurant, down dogging at the yoga studio, or experiencing the Colorado landscape on a bicycle, snowshoes, cross country skis or on foot.