If you have extended health benefits through work, there’s a good chance you have coverage for psychotherapy or mental health services.
And if you’re anything like many of us, you may have spent the year thinking:
“I’ll deal with it later.”
“Things aren’t bad enough for therapy.”
“I should be able to handle this myself.”
“Maybe I’ll start in the new year.”
But here’s your reminder: you don’t have to wait until you’re struggling to the point of burnout before using your mental health benefits.
With the end of the year approaching, this can be a good time to check what your benefits actually cover and consider whether therapy could support you through what you’re carrying.
“But I’m Not in Crisis.”
You don't have to be! You’d be surprised how much work can be done when you’re actually not feeling like you’re in crisis or survival mode.
You can use therapy to work on things that are quietly taking up a lot of mental and emotional space:
Constant overthinking or anxiety
Feeling burnt out from work and family responsibilities
People-pleasing
Difficulty setting boundaries with parents or in-laws
Guilt when prioritizing yourself
Relationship challenges
Navigating cultural or family expectations
Grief and loss
Major life transitions
Feeling disconnected from yourself
Patterns you've noticed but don't know how to change
Simply wanting a space where you don't have to take care of everyone else
You can go to therapy just to learn more about yourself and the patterns that impact your day to day life and relationships.
You Don't Have to Use Every Dollar of Your Benefits
I’m not inviting you to squeeze every possible therapy session out of your benefits before December 31. Your mental health matters now, and it will matter in the new year too. You can just use this time to get started on working on yourself now so that it doesn’t feel so overwhelming when the new year gets here and you’ve promised yourself a handful of resolutions to take care of. Think of your benefits as a resource that you've already been given access to. If you've been considering therapy, this may simply be a useful time to start. Even a few sessions can give you an opportunity to:
Understand:
What's actually contributing to the stress, anxiety, resentment, or exhaustion you're experiencing?
Reflect:
What patterns keep showing up in your relationships, work, or family life?
Practice:
How can you communicate your needs, set boundaries, or respond differently?
Plan:
What do you want to carry forward into the next year, and what are you ready to leave behind?
What If You Don't Know What to Talk About?
That's completely okay. You don't need to arrive at your first therapy session with a perfectly organized list of problems.
You can literally start with:
“I don't really know where to start. I just know I'm overwhelmed.”
That's enough. A therapist can help you figure out what brought you there and what you want to work on. You also don't have to commit to years of therapy before you begin. Some people come for a specific issue and feel ready to wrap up after a few sessions. Others prefer longer-term support.
Take five minutes to check in with yourself:
1. Do I have unused mental health benefits? Check your insurance portal, benefits booklet, or contact your provider.
2. What does my plan actually cover? Find out which mental health professionals are eligible and how much coverage you have remaining.
3. What have I been putting off? Maybe it's anxiety. Maybe it's family stress. Maybe it's your relationship. Maybe you're simply exhausted from being the person everyone depends on.
4. What would I like to feel differently about next year? Less guilty? More confident? More grounded? Better able to communicate? Less overwhelmed?
5. What would happen if I gave myself permission to get support now?
There can be a strange amount of guilt around spending money on ourselves, particularly when we've grown up learning that family needs come first. Taking care of yourself though is not selfish and it can actually help you show up as a better version of yourself in areas that matter to you the most. You don't need to justify needing support by reaching a breaking point. You also don't need to wait for January 1 to decide that your mental health deserves some TLC.
If therapy has been sitting on your “maybe someday” list, this could be the time to take the first step.
At Mango Grove Psychotherapy & Wellness, we provide culturally attuned, trauma-informed therapy for adults across Ontario. Our therapists support clients navigating family dynamics, people-pleasing, cultural expectations, anxiety, burnout, relationships, life transitions, and the complicated experience of figuring out who you are beyond the roles you've been given.
