THERAPY LINGO EXPLAINED: COPING SKILLS

 

When you start going to therapy one of the first priorities for the therapist is to find what coping skills you have, and what coping skills can be added to your life to improve your mental health. Broadly, coping skills are the tools that you use as an individual to relieve stress, avoid burnout, and to care for yourself when you are stressed/angry/worried/anxious. For example, a coping skill could be taking a walk to relieve anger after an argument. For someone else, calling a close friend during an anxious moment can be a coping skill. 

Many people enter therapy because they lack coping skills. Some people may lack coping skills overall, while others lack coping skills for specific situations. For example, you may cope well with stress and pressure if you work at a hospital or maybe as a first responder. Managing a crisis may come easily to people who manage emergencies everyday. Yet this same person could lack a coping skill when it comes to parenting, being in a relationship, or even how to navigate a sleepless night. 

Coping skills are both general and specific, and your therapist will guide you to finding improved coping skills during your sessions.